Elemental Book One: Vast Lands
by Storm that Twists in Spiral
Summary: After an epic battle drives the Clans away forever, choices must be made to save the Clan from disaster. Five tiny kits become the biggest problem...and the biggest gift the Clans have seen. For nothing is as it seems...when great is greater than good.
1. Prologue

**Hello, all of you wonderful readers out there! My name is Elsi. Welcome to ELEMENTAL BOOK ONE: VAST LANDS. As you probably read in the description, this is an AU that has the Clans taking another great journey and all of that. **

**This is actually a re-done prologue, as I am slowly but surely going through Books 1 and 2 and updating them with correct information (and better writing and a more suspenseful story). I do hope you keep reading though, as I'm pretty proud of this series, actually. **

**For context, the chronologic beginning of this series takes place after Fading Echoes and gets AU from there - this particular story starts about...twelve moons after that or so? The two apprentices in the prologue are Ivypool's kits, so you can do the math there. Also, while this isn't heavily focused on canon characters, they are very important to the story. You should know that my pairings are Lionblaze/Icecloud, Ivypool/Bumblestripe, and Jayfeather/Cinderheart. Also you should know that I wrote this before Sign of the Moon, so I call Dovewing DOVEHEART. Complain all you want, that's just the way it is. :P**

**Enjoy! And, as always, I don't own Warriors.**

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PROLOGUE

On one of those nights where the clouds cover the stars and only the dim moonlight fighting its way through the hazy covering provides any sort of light, two species came together in a life-ending clash. The foxes to the east had come down from their hillside home, eager to stake a claim on what they deemed holy ground – the same territory where the four Clans of cats had thrived for moons. It is there, stretched out upon that taught strip of moorland where WindClan called home, that the battle raged.

A battle to end all battles, it was a dark twisting mass of bodies – some fought and some died, but all went to meet their adverse foe thinking that this skirmish was the final encounter with their opponents they would ever have.

In the bushes was concealed a careful arrangement of fallen Clan-mates, before which crouched a series of frantic cats – half of whom had the power of medicine and half of whom were close to their last breaths. One such medicine cat, whose tabby stripes were barely visible in what little light they had, was gazing sightlessly through the bushes, everything about him stiff and prepared to move.

Three cats hobbled up the hill. When they reached the blind medicine cat, everything snapped into place. The one in the middle collapsed with a moan.

"Stay," ordered the medicine cat to the two cats on the outside, a pair of small grey cats that were obviously littermates. "You have acted bravely."

"Can you save her?" asked the she-cat out of the two young littermates. The blind medicine cat did not answer, instead calling for the brown tabby she-cat who arrived with a pile of herbs in her jaws.

"Go sit with Whitewing and tell me if anything changes," said the blind medicine cat. Once the two were out of sight, he flicked his ears at the older she-cat who hovered beside him. "I don't know what to do. Everything is happening so fast, and I cannot continue to let my Clan-mates die." It was a confession of fear that he had never let slip before, if evidenced only by the surprise on the she-cat's face.

"You're doing all you can, Jayfeather," she meowed. "You have saved so many cats that other medicine cats could not save. Do not lose hope."

"Lose hope?" Jayfeather chuckled darkly. "Leafpool, do not tell me that you thought there was any hope to begin with."

"Never say that!" At Leafpool's harsh words, Jayfeather laughed once more, all the while never looking up from his work.

"I'm sure the cats who lost their lives today would believe you."

"Jayfeather."

"I am working. If you have nothing productive to say, you can rescue another ThunderClan cat from the battlefield."

_Jayfeather._

That voice made him sit up so abruptly that the herbs fell to the ground. His head swiveled around as he searched for the too-familiar voice.

A soft pelt pressed into his side, and the scent of stars and dirt and death-berries washed over him – the scent of one cat and one cat alone.

_This is it, Jayfeather. You know it as well as I do._

"I know only that my Clan-mates need my help." His words were whispered and afraid, almost as if he could not voice them.

_You can feel it, too, can't you? The end of an era. They can all feel it. It's why this battle scares them so. They know that if they lose, it will be the end of this land._

"Then what am I to do to help them?"

_Trust in me, Jayfeather. I have been working to send you the hope you lost. You've seen it, too. Four cats on five starlit paths. Five stars in the sky, burning ever bright. The stars on fire, the earth an icy wasteland. You've read the signs. You know who you must protect._

"That cannot help me now! I can do nothing now."

_Then perhaps this era is ending. Maybe it is best if you allow a new story to begin. Let the shadows infest this land and take refuge in another._

"You mean we leave."

_I cannot give you all the answers. Just trust in me. Place your faith in me. Let me be your hope._

For a split second, Jayfeather looked up and could see her as if he was dreaming, or she was not lost. Black fur against a palate of black and grey. Green eyes that dared him to do more than he was ever capable of doing.

"I missed you, Hollyleaf," he said. He thought he saw her smile, and then he was staring at his normal world of grey again. With a sigh, Jayfeather turned to his work, trying to ignore the lingering scent of death-berries on the wind as his last hope floated away to another era.

The drumming of the battle faded away as nausea swept over him. He knew what this all meant, and why Hollyleaf had come to him. She was telling him their fate.

They would lose this war. And when they did, all that they had built up as real would change. Their time was ending. And the time of the Five would begin.

* * *

**It occurred to me as I was writing this that Hollyleaf is literally not in my series, so that's one of the things I'm going to be addressing in the re-writes. Next is the first chapter, which picks up with Lionblaze, and we'll go from there. If you are reading this for the first time, tell me what you think of the prologue! If you are re-reading this, tell me if you think the prologue is better than the old one! Thanks, everyone!**

**~Elsi **


	2. Alleigances

Allegiances

THUNDERCLAN

Leader Bramblestar – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes (Lives: 6)

Deputy Lionblaze – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat Jayfeather – grey tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Warriors

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice-Stealthpaw

Sorreltail – tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice-Briarpaw

Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom

Birchfall – light brown tabby tom

Apprentice-Rustpaw

Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Leafpool – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Whitewing – white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice-Runningpaw

Berrynose – cream-colored tom

Hazeltail – small grey and white she-cat

Mousewhisker – grey and white tom

Apprentice-Windpaw

Cinderheart – grey tabby she-cat

Poppyfrost – tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentice-Bouncepaw

Foxleap – reddish tabby tom

Toadstep – black and white tom

Apprentice-Bluepaw

Bumbleflight – very pale grey tom with black stripes

Doveheart – pale grey she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice-Greypaw

Ivypool – silver and white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Apprentice-Brackenpaw

Molewhisker – brown and cream tom

Cherrymist – ginger she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice-Dustpaw

Mouseclaw – brown and black tom with blue eyes

Apprentices

Windpaw – grey tom with amber eyes

Briarpaw – brown tabby she-cat

Bouncepaw – white she-cat with blue-violet eyes

Rustpaw – reddish tom

Stealthpaw – golden and brown mottled tom

Brackenpaw – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Dustpaw – white tom with brown flecks and brown eyes

Runningpaw – creamy she-cat

Greypaw – big grey tabby tom

Bluepaw – blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes

Queens

Icecloud – white she-cat; mother of Lionblaze's kits: Skykit (silver mottled tabby she-cat with blue eyes), Mountainkit (big silver tom with dark grey paws), Birdkit (ginger she-cat with russet-colored paws), Willowkit (grey she-cat with white paws), and Littlekit (small golden tom with amber eyes tinted with blue and one blue-grey paw); all four and a half moons

Blossomfall – tortoiseshell and white she-cat, expecting Toadstep's kits

Elders

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Graystripe – long-haired grey tom

Millie – grey tabby she-cat

Ferncloud – pale grey (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

WINDCLAN

Leader Onestar – brown tabby tom (Lives: 2)

Deputy Whitetail – small white she-cat

Medicine Cat Kestrelwing – mottled grey tom

Apprentice-Jaypaw (reddish she-cat with green eyes)

Warriors

Crowfeather – dark grey tom

Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom

Nightcloud – black she-cat

Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws

Harespring – brown tabby tom

Leaftail – dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Heathertail – light brown tabby she-cat with blue-violet eyes

Apprentice-Hailpaw (black tom)

Emberfoot – grey tom with two dark paws

Breezepelt – black tom with amber eyes

Sunstrike – tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

Furzetail – grey and white she-cat

Apprentice- Lightpaw (white and ginger she-cat)

Boulderstrike – large pale grey tom

Whiskerclaw – light brown tom

Queens

Sedgewhisker – light brown tabby she-cat; mother of Leaftail's kits: Thrushkit (brown tabby tom), Lizardkit (dark brown she-cat), and Ivykit (reddish she-cat with green eyes); four moons

RIVERCLAN

Leader Mistystar – grey she-cat with blue eyes (Lives: 6)

Deputy Reedwhisker – black tom

Medicine Cat Willowshine – grey tabby she-cat

Warriors

Blackclaw – black tom with amber eyes

Graymist – pale grey tabby she-cat

Apprentice – Sandpaw (light ginger she-cat)

Rainstorm – dark grey tabby tom

Pebblefoot – mottled grey tom

Mosspelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Mallownose – light brown tabby tom

Apprentice – Splashpaw (pale grey she-cat)

Petalfur- grey and white she-cat

Grasspelt – light brown tom

Hollowstep – dark brown tabby tom

Troutfur – pale grey tabby she-cat

Mossytail – brown and white she-cat

Swallowleaf – brown and cream she-cat with green eyes

Queens

Minnowtail – dark grey she-cat; mother of Rainstorm's kit: Rushkit (creamy tom with blue eyes; five moons)

SHADOWCLAN

Leader Blackstar – large white tom with huge jet black paws (Lives: 4)

Deputy Oakfur – small brown tom

Medicine Cat – Flametail – ginger tom

Apprentice-Bearpaw (dark brown tom)

Warriors

Rowanclaw – ginger tom

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Crowfrost – black and white tom

Apprentice- Violetpaw (black she-cat with white paws)

Applefur – mottled brown she-cat

Kinkfur – tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ratscar – brown tom with long scar across his back

Snaketail – dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Toadfoot – dark brown tom

Apprentice-Mistpaw (silver she-cat with bushy tail)

Ivytail – black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw – light brown tabby tom

Tigerheart – dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt – cream-furred she-cat

Scorchfur – dark grey tom

Starlingflight – ginger tom

Redwillow – mottled brown and ginger tom

Apprentice- Heatpaw (ginger and black tom)

Pineheart – black she-cat

Ferretpelt – grey and cream tom

Queens

Shrewfoot – grey she-cat with black feet; mother of Owlclaw's kits: Stickkit (brown tabby tom), and Marshkit (dark grey tom with amber eyes); both three moons

TRIBE OF RUSHING WATER

Healer Teller of the Pointed Stones (Stoneteller) – brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Cave-Guards

Crag Where Eagles Nest (Crag) – dark grey tom

Stormfur- dark grey tom with amber eyes

Talon of Swooping Eagle (Talon) – dark brown tabby tom

Bird that Rides the Wind (Bird) - grey-brown she-cat

Night of No Stars (Night) – black she-cat

Pebble that Rolls Down Mountain (Pebble) – grey she-cat

Prey-Hunters

Gray Sky Before Dawn (Gray) – pale grey tabby tom

Wing Shadow over Water (Wing) – grey and white she-cat

Screech of Angry Owl (Screech) – black tom

Splash When Fish Leaps (Splash) – light brown tabby she-cat

Kit-Mothers

Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook) – brown tabby she-cat; mother of Stormfur's three one-moon kits

To-Be's

Sand Falling from Loose Rock (Sand) – light ginger tom with blue eyes

Twig Left from Blown Tree (Twig) – brown mottled she-cat with green eyes

CATS OUTSIDE CLANS

Wish – white she-cat with golden eyes; rogue from New Territory

Glow – silver she-cat; rogue from New Territory; mother of Creek and Ocean

Strike – black tom with white streak over eye; rogue from New Territory

Creek – grey she-cat from New Territory, kit of Glow

Ocean – black tom from New Territory, kit of Glow

OTHER ANIMALS

Midnight – star-gazing badger from sun-drown place

Anger – head fox of FoxPack

Fountain – white he-wolf from New Territory


	3. Chapter 1: Careful Consideration

**Elsi: Here is the first chapter of this story. Go figure.**

**Trek: Luckily, it's much longer than the prologue. **

**Elsi: You won't really meet new characters in this chapter, because each of the Three (Lion, Jay, Dove) have their own chapter.**

**Trek: Looky, here's my role as disclaimer-dude. Elsi doesn't own Warriors, because she's writing FANFICTION.**

**Elsi: And ACTION!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Careful Consideration

Lionblaze touched his nose to Rosepetal's cold creamy fur. The young warrior lay stretched out beside her father, Spiderleg, and Brightheart, never to fight another battle. That leaf-bare had brought greencough, and with it the deaths of Briarlight, Mousefur, Purdy, Daisy, and Hazeltail's she-kit, Petalkit. Now three more ThunderClan cats hunted with StarClan…all because of this stupid battle.

However, the start of new-leaf had brought many new cats to ThunderClan. Dustpelt and Ferncloud's youngest kit, Mouseclaw, had been named a warrior a quarter-moon ago. The apprentice's den was full, and new warriors would be named soon. And even further, Lionblaze's mate, Icecloud, had given birth to five healthy kits.

"Lionblaze!" It was Bramblestar, his amber eyes glimmering with sadness.

"Yes, Bramblestar?" Lionblaze demanded. His heard nearly stopped. Had another cat died?

"Blackstar is calling for a meeting. Find Jayfeather and meet me near the boulder." He flicked his tail towards the large grey stone where the Clan leaders met the night before.

"Sure, Bramblestar," mewed Lionblaze. He dipped his head and padded over to where injured cats lay all around Jayfeather and Leafpool. Lionblaze couldn't help but stiffen at the sight of his mother. Even though she had stopped being a medicine cat, Bramblestar had requested that she help Jayfeather.

"Jayfeather!" called Lionblaze. Jayfeather pricked his ears, clearly recognizing his brother's voice. He didn't look up from where he was smearing ointment on Briarpaw's throat wound. The apprentice gave a tiny squeak of pain, but Jayfeather just touched her flank with the tip of his tail. Lionblaze padded to his brother's side.

"Is there anything I can do?" he meowed, looking around at his Clan-mates.

"Come back later for more," Jayfeather was instructing Brackenfur. He then cast a glance at Lionblaze. "Send me more apprentices."

"How many?" questioned Lionblaze, narrowing his eyes in concern.

"As many as can be spared," snapped Jayfeather, but the frustration in his mew was only self-frustration.

"Then could you come to the meeting?" Lionblaze demanded, flicking his tail. Sighing, Jayfeather turned to observe his patients; Lionblaze looked in the same direction.

Briarpaw lay near her mother, Whitewing; both were sleeping. Toadstp lapped weakly at a piece of wet moss, his shoulder wound bleeding through the binding. Ivypool was cleaning a gash on her leg while sitting beside her mate, Bumblestripe, who was breathing shallow breaths. Sorreltail's fur was matted with blood, and Brackenfur stroked her flank with his tail, keeping his sprained paw off the ground. Molewhisker's eyes fluttered open, but they closed again a moment later. Poppyfrost lay curled up with her kit, a deep gash along her flank. Squirrelflight was smoothing down the fur of Runningpaw, her kit. Runningpaw's brother, Brackenpaw, was sleeping next to his sister with a deep belly wound. Lionblaze's stomach twisted. Even though Squirrelflight had lied to him and Jayfeather, part of him was glad that Bramblestar had forgiven her. He knew that he would have done the same thing for Jayfeather, and he would have been devastated if Icecloud left him.

"I just don't know," mewed Jayfeather at last.

"Go on, Jayfeather," said Leafpool suddenly. "As long as Lionblaze sends Bluepaw, Greypaw, and Bouncepaw, I should be fine." Jayfeather stared at their mother for a moment. "I may not be a medicine cat anymore, but I can still help my Clan-mates." After a brief pause, Jayfeather dipped his head.

"Okay, Leafpool," he meowed.

"I'll find the apprentices," added Lionblaze. The two brothers hurried off to find the three.

Lionblaze and Jayfeather took their seats beside Bramblestar.

"Hello Lionblaze, Jayfeather." It was Willowshine, her blue eyes gleaming grimly.

"Hello, Willowshine," Lionblaze meowed, dipping his head. "How is RiverClan?" At once, the medicine cat's eyes clouded.

"We lost Beetlewhisker, Icewing, and Lakepaw last night," she mewed, "and Pebblefoot and Sandpaw are close to StarClan."

"Oh no," answered Lionblaze, despair overtaking him. "We lost Brightheart, Spiderleg, and Rosepetal."

"Briarpaw may not last the night," added Jayfeather. He hesitated. "How did you treat your warriors' neck wounds?"

"A poultice of comfrey and honey," said Willowshine with a flick of her tail.

"Honey?" echoed Jayfeather, his already cloudy eyes clouding with confusion.

"To soothe the pain," replied Willowshine smugly. Lionblaze rolled his eyes. _Do these two really have to beat each other at everything? _

A loud meow stopped Jayfeather from making a snappy comment. Onestar, Whitetail, and Jaypaw, the medicine cat apprentice, charged down the slope to join the ThunderClan and RiverClan cats.

"Greetings, Onestar," Mistystar remarked. "Where is Ashfoot?"

"Ashfoot has gone to hunt with StarClan," meowed Onestar sadly. He shook his head, as if shaking himself from memories. "Whitetail is my deputy now."

"Welcome, Whitetail," Mistystar said. "RiverClan will mourn Ashfoot."

"As will ThunderClan," added Bramblestar. He dipped his head to Whitetail, who did the same in return.

"She was a good deputy," mused Onestar. "But Whitetail will be a fine replacement and a good leader for WindClan." Mistystar purred warmly in agreement. Whitetail thanked her.

"Let us begin!" called a voice. Blackstar raced down to join them, Oakfur and Bearpaw, Flametail's apprentice, with him.

"Yes," agreed Bramblestar. He looked around. "Have any of our medicine cats received word from StarClan?"

"Not since the battle," Willowshine meowed.

"Just the message we all received," confirmed Jayfeather.

"StarClan told us to retreat," Reedwhisker said thoughtfully, "but why?"

"Perhaps we are supposed to recover and attack again…as one," Oakfur suggested.

"Or maybe we must leave," muttered Jayfeather. There was a shocked silence.

"Where would we go?" Mistystar questioned sharply. "Over the mountains?"

"Well, we can't stay here much longer," pointed out Whitetial. "There is little prey and not enough space for all of us."

"Maybe our medicine cats should go to the Moonpool for StarClan's guidance," said Bramblestar.

"It is too dangerous!" Blackstar countered. Jayfeather jumped up, bristling.

"For _all_ of us," Bearpaw rumbled wisely. "Our enemies are still out there."

"Do we have any other option?" pointed out Reedwhisker.

"We could send warriors," grumbled Oakfur. Silence.

"But the Moonpool is for warriors!" mewed Jaypaw, her green eyes wide.

"That is true," Mistystar commented, nodding thoughtfully. Lionblaze, struck by a powerful sense of loyalty, got to his paws.

"I will go with Jayfeather and the other medicine cats," he declared. More silence. Lionblaze looked around his companions, wondered what he had said. At last, Reedwhisker gave a shrug.

"I'll go with them, too," he meowed, crossing to stand with Lionblaze.

"We'll all send our deputies," Onestar decided.

"At dawn, then?" Mistystar questioned. Fur gleaming much like her mother, she leaped up to the top of the rise. Reedwhisker and Willowshine followed their leader, lingering to stare down at the other three Clans.

"At dawn!" called Bramblestar. Smiling a half-smile, Mistystar vanished from sight, her deputy and medicine cat right behind her.

"Well, that's that," Blackstar remarked. Dipping their heads, the three ShadowClan cats bounded up their side of the hill to leave.

"At dawn, Bramblestar," said Onestar. He started away.

"Congratulations," Lionblaze meowed to Whitetail as she passed. The she-cat smiled at him. Jaypaw bounced behind her leader and deputy until the three WindClan cats had vanished. Bramblestar watched them go. Lionblaze turned to his brother, but Jayfeather's eyes were stretched wide. His tabby pelt was tingling, and his ears were pressed flat against his head.

"Jayfeather?" whispered Lionblaze. There was no reply. "Jayfeather!" With a gasp, Jayfeather leaned forward, his head bowed and his eyes closed.

"Doveheart, he breathed. "We have to find Doveheart. NOW."

* * *

**Elsi: A bit of suspense for you. Well, it's a good thing it's a double update, huh? **

**Trek: You wicked person.**

**Elsi: Yeah, yeah, wait until book four.**

**Trek: I know about book four, thanks.**

**Elsi: Anyways, rate and review. Or else...MWAHAHA! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.**


	4. Chapter 2: News For Everyone

**Elsi: And here the cliffhanger will be answered, in chapter two. In which: Doveheart, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather have a meeting. Oooh, fancy.**

**Trek: **whistles innocently****

**Elsi: Trek. The disclaimer?**

**Trek: FINE! Elsi doesn't own Warriors, because she's not cool enough.**

**Elsi: **smites him****

**Trek **is smited****

* * *

Chapter 2: News for Everyone

Jayfeather and Lionblaze bounded up the slope.

"Doveheart!" cried Lionblaze softly, knowing that she could hear them.

"In here!" hissed Jayfeather, ducking into an alcove. His heart hammered inside his chest. What did StarClan mean? Jayfeather wanted to wail aloud.

"So what did StarClan say to you?" Lionblaze asked.

"Wait until Doveheart gets here," replied Jayfeather, lashing his tail.

"I'm here," mewed a voice. By the sounds that Jayfeather heard, he could tell that Doveheart had ducked into their spot. "What's wrong?" Jayfeather felt the gazes of them both upon him; he could feel their anxiety. He hesitated. How could he tell them?

"I had a vision," he meowed quietly. "It showed Silverpelt…and three brightly shining stars."

"That's us!" gasped Doveheart. Jayfeather nodded.

"And then…" he broke off. "And then under one of them, there were five dim stars. But they weren't just stars. The first wasn't quite…solid. It was if it was made out of wind, just contained in the star's shape. And the second seemed to be an actual rock in the sky. The third sparkled with fire, the fourth clear and sharp as ice, and the fifth was made of water."

"What does that mean?" Lionblaze asked.

"Hang on," continued Jayfeather. "Then I looked up and saw five cats on the hill nearby. The first was an elegant she-cat with a silver spiraled pelt, bright blue eyes, and surrounded by a cool mist. She looked to the sky. Next was a huge silver tom with dark grey paws and blue eyes. I could see his sharp claws and the pool of blood he stood in. He stared at the mountains in the distance. The next cat was a ginger she-cat with russet-colored paws. Her green eyes echoed the flames that surrounded her. I could see the herbs in her jaws as she stared at me. Then came a smaller silver she-cat with ice-white paws. Her blue eyes were glued on the icy pool in front of her, reflecting the stars. And the last cat was the smallest of all: a golden tom with one blue-grey paw and amber eyes tinted with blue. He was standing in a stream and staring in the direction of the camp, which was behind me. I could see StarClan cats around him: Firestar and Bluestar and other leaders before them."

"But," whimpered Lionblaze, his voice high with shock, "but those are my kits!" Doveheart gasped; Jayfeather sighed in irritation.

"And then," he pressed on, "the small tom-cat padded up to me. 'We are the Great Five, Jayfeather," he said to me. 'No one can stop us from doing as we please.'"

"Littlekit," mewed Lionblaze, his eyes glazed over.

"Then, the five vanished. I could hear Spottedleaf's voice…she said: 'Great can be greater than good, Jayfeather, remember that.' And then the vision ended."

"Great can be greater than good?" echoed Doveheart. "Does that mean that Lionblaze's kits will be…bad?" Jayfeather shook his head.

"I don't know, Doveheart," he replied. "I just don't know."

Jayfeather stretched.

"Good luck, Jayfeather." With a fluttering heart, Jayfeather turned to Cinderheart.

"Thanks," he meowed. Cinderheart's sweet scent floated around him, making him want to purr. He took a step towards her, but stopped. _What am I doing?_ He thought. _I'm a medicine cat! I can't be in love with Cinderheart! Why would a cat like her even think about loving someone like me, anyways?_

Suddenly, Cinderheart pressed her muzzle against his.

"Don't get hurt, okay?" she murmured.

"I'll be careful," promised Jayfeather. For any other cat, he would have stiffened and come up with some angry comeback. But Cinderheart wasn't like that. She didn't say those words because he was blind; she said them because it was a dangerous mission for everyone. Cinderheart purred and stepped back again. Jayfeather dipped his head to her, trying to look like his heart wasn't throbbing with the will to be close.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," he meowed politely.

"Oh…right," said Cinderheart shakily. Jayfeather started to pad away, feeling her worry, her confusion, her sorrow. With a deep breath, Jayfeather just decided to say it.

"Cinderheart?" he mewed, turning. Cinderheart flicked her tail – in hope, he thought.

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"I - ." Jayfeather's breath caught in his throat. No! He couldn't do this! It wasn't allowed. "Watch over Poppyfrost. She's lucky to have such a great sister like you."

"Thanks," Cinderheart replied, sounding more confused than ever. "I will." Frustration radiated off of her, but when Jayfeather tried to pierce her mind, he found the usual misty fence blocking him. With that, Jayfeather turned and padded away, regret and self-frustration surging through him. He could feel Cinderheart's sad blue eyes follow him until he met his brother and disappeared from sight.

The journey to the Moonpool was long and boring. Jaypaw kept bouncing around Kestrelflight's paws, making the usual calm and cheerful medicine cat quiet and impatient. Jayfeather was amazed how the cat that shared his name could be so different than he was. Flametail and Willowshine were conversing idly, with Bearpaw occasionally throwing in his own comments. Never once did Reedwhisker leave his medicine cat, though he sometimes cast glances at Oakfur and Whitetail, who were trotting at the front of the patrol, looking around.

Lionblaze and Jayfeather stayed at the back, each thinking their own thoughts. Glancing quickly into Lionblaze's thoughts, Jayfeather realized that his brother was still in shock about his kits being powerful…and possibly evil. Jayfeather himself debated whether he should tell Cinderheart how he felt, and what to say to her.

At last, they arrived. The four deputies stayed at the top of the slope, keeping watch. Jayfeather set his paws into the paw prints of the ancient cats and lapped from the starry water – for the last time. This thought hit him, but then he slipped into darkness.

Yellowfang was waiting for him. As Jayfeather scrambled to his paws, he felt her golden gaze on him.

"Do you have a message for me?" he meowed anxiously.

"Do you see in dreams?" snapped Yellowfang.

"Well," teased Jayfeather, "I can, but other cats don't know that, so it's like I can't."

"Precisely," meowed the she-cat. Jayfeather lashed his tail, knowing he had said exactly what she thought he would say. "It isn't how it seems."

"No, it isn't," admitted Jayfeather.

"Things aren't as they seem," continue Yellowfang. "Remember that, and everything will be clear to you." A troubled look in her eyes, Yellowfang began to fade.

"What?" gasped Jayfeather. "Yellowfang! Wait!" But Yellowfang wasn't waiting. "Can't you tell me anything about Lionblaze's kits?"

"You'll find out soon enough," breathed Yellowfang's voice around him, and he woke up with a gasp.

* * *

**Elsi: So there you have it. The kits might be EVIL! MWAHAHAHA!**

**Trek: But the kits are too cute to be evil!**

**Elsi: Shut it. We haven't even met the kits yet. YET. **

**Trek: Aren't they in Chapter 3? Which is Dovey's chapter, by the way.**

**Elsi: Tis, tis. The story's about to get much more interesting...and I'd like some review to tel me how I'm doing. You can flame, if you'd like. I do like roasted marshmallows. Or perhaps I shall make sassafrass tea. Or mint tea. Or staghorn sumac tea.**

**Trek: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Elsi: You don't like my wild tea?**

**Trek: ...**

**Elsi: I know another thing I could use flames for.**

**Trek: Ancestors save me! **runs away****

**Elsi: I love when he says that. REVIEW, people! **


	5. Chapter 3: Talented

**Elsi: Welcome to Chapter 3 of Elemental Book One: Vast Lands. I'm Elsi, your host, and here is my co-host, Trek.**

**Trek: Hey. Today we're going to meet our favorite ThunderClan kits -**

**Elsi: Of course, they're the only ones -**

**Trek: and learn bit about them. Who's ready?**

**Crazed Fan Girl: MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Elsi: Kaysies. Trekers?**

**Trek: Sigh. Elsi does not own Warriors. Get it?**

**Elsi: Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Talented

Doveheart took another bite of the shrew she shared with Foxleap. Her eyes never left her target.

"You okay, Doveheart?" Foxleap asked. Doveheart looked up at him, breaking the death stare she had been keeping.

"Yeah, Foxleap," she sighed. "I'm just…tired."

"Are you getting enough food?" questioned Foxleap.

"There's not enough to go around," snapped Doveheart. "Sorry," she added, seeing the hurt on his face. She was just so awkward around Foxleap!

"I'm going to go see the kits," Doveheart grunted, standing. Without waiting for Foxleap to offer to come, she marched over to where Skykit and Willowkit were tussling. Skykit pulled away from her younger sister, who promptly went to find Birdkit.

"Hi, Doveheart," she meowed. "What's wrong" Doveheart gazed down at the kit, who met her stare with glowing blue eyes.

"Nothing," she responded with a fake smile. Skykit curled her tail around her paws.

"Foxleap cares about you, you know," the little kit mewed. Doveheart jumped. What did a two-month kit know of these things? Skykit didn't take her eyes off of Doveheart, and now she could feel that the kit's eyes saw deep down inside her. Uncomfortable, Doveheart turned to see Littlekit.

"Hello, Littlekit," said Doveheart.

"Hi," squeaked the little tom. He flicked his blue-grey paw and pricked his ears, looking up towards the sky.

"It's going to rain today," he predicted. Doveheart also looked up to the sky. It was blue, with a few clouds.

"How can you tell?" she asked puzzled. Littlekit flicked his tail towards a cloud hovering near the mountains.

"The water is thick in those clouds, ready to fall," he explained. "And if the wind blows the right way -."

"Which it will," added Skykit, coming to Doveheart's side.

"Then it will rain," finished Littlekit.

"Hey, Doveheart?" Skykit asked. "I forgot to ask you earlier when we were talking about Foxleap."

"What is it?" Doveheart meowed as sweetly as she could. Skykit's blue eyes expressed her confusion.

"Who's Tigerheart?"

"T-T-Tigerheart?" sputtered Doveheart. Her heart sped up, and her head spun.

"Yeah, Tigerheart," repeated Skykit. "Weren't you thinking about him?" _Oh StarClan, she can read minds,_ thought Doveheart.

"He's a ShadowClan warrior," she began.

"ShadowClan?" gasped Littlekit, shock filling his eyes.

"A ShadowClan warrior," went on Doveheart, "who…is kind of like Foxleap. He once went on a quest with Lionblaze and I…and I guess I was just remembering the quest." _Or after it,_ she couldn't help but think.

"Okay," said Skykit, though she still seemed suspicious. Doveheart breathed a small sigh of relief. How was this little kit able to read minds and tell the wind direction? How could her little brother possibly tell how much water was in those clouds?

"Hey, Doveheart, will you teach me a battle move?" Doveheart turned to see Mountainkit, his blue eyes gleaming.

"Maybe when you're older," Doveheart told him. "But I'll show the hunting crouch."

"Oh! Dad showed me that! Watch!" Mountainkit dropped into a strangely perfect hunting crouch. Willowkit squealed in excitement from where she sat with Birdkit and dashed over to join him.

"Keep your tail still, Willowkit," instructed a voice. From behind her came Dustpaw and Greypaw. Doveheart greeted her apprentice with a purr.

For a while, the two apprentices taught all five kits the crouch. Doveheart watched with a smile, sometimes offering her own tips or correcting Greypaw's crouch. _They might be great and powerful,_ she thought, _but sometimes, they're just kits._

"Do you know when it's going to rain, Littlekit?" she asked, glancing up at the sky.

"It's not going to rain," declared Willowkit, sitting up, "it's going to snow!" Shocked, Doveheart didn't reply. Laughing, Willowkit hopped from paw to paw, and…and the air around them chilled.

"Enough, Willowkit," Doveheart commanded firmly, seeing the confusion on Greypaw and Dustpaw's faces. All five kits stopped what they were doing and stared at Doveheart, puzzled. Skykit tilted her head and read Doveheart's thoughts.

"Oh!" she meowed, nodding to Birdkit. Birdkit shuffled her paws, and the air heated up to its normal rate. Littlekit and Skykit exchanged a glance. Focusing on Greypaw and Dustpaw, Littlekit narrowed his eyes.

"None of this ever happened," he said firmly. "Go back to playing with us." At once, Dustpaw and Greypaw did exactly that. Doveheart let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. As the kits went back to playing with the apprentices, Doveheart let her senses stretch out to find the patrol from the Moonpool. She could tell that they were close.

"Lionblaze is back!" she cried, but she wasn't the only one who said it. Looking around in confusion, she saw that Mountainkit's ears were pricked, and his eyes stared straight in the right direction. Doveheart did some quick thinking. _Skykit can read minds…and clouds. Mountainkit has really far-stretching senses, like mine, and he's a too good a hunter to be a normal kit. Birdkit can heat up things, while Willowkit can cool them down. And Littlekit can read water, and control what people think and do. Oh, StarClan! What else can they do?_

Doveheart didn't wait another second. Quickly calling for Greypaw and Dustpaw to keep an eye on the kits, she raced out over the short foothills.

"Doveheart?" questioned Foxleap, but she ignored him and kept running.

"They're back." The voice belonged to Bramblestar, and Doveheart flicked her tail to show that he was correct. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Bramblestar coming after her. She smiled slightly, whipping past cats from RiverClan…then ShadowClan…then WIndClan. At last she came to a halt on a ridge overlooking the very edge of what had been WindClan territory, where she found the distant figures of the cats returning from the Moonpool. Stretching her senses out to them, she could tell that the medicine cats all walked together, deep in conversation. Each of the four deputies walked on one side of them, occasionally exchanging worried glances.

"Doveheart," said Bramblestar, coming to her side. He had stopped to find the other three leaders, so then there were five cats gazing down at the Moonpool patrol.

"You have very keen senses, young warrior," Mistystar observed quietly. Doveheart ducked her head, gritting her teeth at her foolishness. Did Mistystar think it was too strange of her to realize that they were back when she was one of the farthest away?

"I…" she started, but Mistystar wasn't listening, to Doveheart's relief.

"Let us see what they have to say to us," Bramblestar suggested, preparing to leap down the slope to meet the patrol.

"No!" hissed Blackstar, sticking out his tail to stop the ThunderClan leader. "Our cats are already in danger from a fox attack, adding our numbers will only attract them faster." Doveheart opened her mouth in defense for her leader, but then, Onestar narrowed his eyes.

"Something is troubling them," he meowed softly. "I fear for the worst." Doveheart shivered at the tone of defeat in his voice. The WindClan leader bowed his head, and she gazed at him in despair.

"Perhaps their signs contradicted each other," Blackstar commented hopefully. "Then it might not be so bad."

"Of course it would," snarled Bramblestar. "We would be left with nothing. No sign from StarClan at all." Mistystar let out a sharp mew.

"Arguing won't help us any," she pointed out, sitting down and curling her tail around her paws. "We must wait for StarClan's punishment." _Punishment,_ echoed Doveheart quietly. She glanced at the other leaders, and her heart chilled. Blackstar was sitting stiffly, his eyes fixed on the patrol. In them, Doveheart could read the forlorn sense of hopelessness. Bramblestar was gazing towards the sky, his jaws moving in a silent prayer. Doveheart's heart nearly stopped just then. _Has everyone given up on the Clans?_ _If the leaders have no hope, what are the rest of us to think? We are lost without the guidance and confidence of our leaders. There is no way we can survive if they think we cannot._

"Why is everyone without hope, Doveheart?" said the all-too-familiar voice. Doveheart spun around to face the speaker, angry.

"You aren't supposed to be here!" she told the cat as the four Clan leaders observed them with shock. Bramblestar paced forward, his amber eyes cold as ice.

"Who came with you?" he asked the cat.

"No one," they replied, their eyes shining. "But someone sent me."

"Who?" Bramblestar demanded, the cool anger in his eyes replaced with fear. The cat stared up at him fearlessly.

"StarClan," they meowed. "I had a vision."

* * *

**Elsi: There, a little suspense for you, just to keep you begging for more. Who do you think it is?**

**Trek: I think it's **gets slapped by Elsi** HEY!**

**Elsi: YOU know what's going to happen!**

**Trek: So? I can still cast my vote.**

**Elsi: No, because you'll be right.**

**Trek: Fine. Guys, it's not Firestar. He's dead.**

**Elsi: Very observant of you. Rate and Review, sil vous plait, or you'll never see your precious Mouseclaw again!**

**Trek: You do know Mouseclaw hasn't even shown up yet, right.**

**Elsi: Shhhhh. You know how important Mouseclaw is. Flames will be used to keep Trek's feet warm.**

**Trek: Why would...**

**Elsi: **sticks feet in pitcher of imaginary ice****

**Trek: COOOOOOOOOOOOLD!**

**Elsi: It's only imaginary ice.**

**Trek: And I'm an IMAGINARY person! Gah!**

**Elsi: Tee hee. So, review, review! And tell me three things:**

**1) how I'm doing**

**2) who the mystery cat is**

**3) which kit you like the best**

**Trek: K-k-keep in m-mind that you've b-barely m-m-met them. They'll h-h-have m-more p-powers.**

**Elsi: My favorite kit powers-wise is Littlekit. My fav plot-wise is Birdkit. My fav thought-wise is Skykit. Mountainkit has a great plot, too. And Willowkit is kinda just there...**

**Trek: I like M-m-mountaink-kit. I'm n-not sure wh-why though. I'm s-sure Elsi kn-knows.**

**Elsi: Uh huh, I do. It's cuz he's based off the person who saved your life. Why are you all still reading this? Go review!**


	6. Chapter 4: Eldest

**Elsi: Welcome to chapter four. At last the kits get their own chapters! **

**Trek: Hey, Elsi, who's chapter is this?**

**Elsi: It's called Eldest. And the eldest KIT is...**

**Trek: Oh!**

**Elsi: Right. So, you'll find out more about their powers. Or the ones that are showing up now...MWAHAHA!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Eldest

Bramblestar's amber eyes stretched wide with shock, and the other leaders exchanged the same look of doubt. Doveheart just stared. Skykit sat down and curled her tail around her paws. She peered at Bramblestar for a moment, reading his thoughts. _What? How? A kit? Is Skykit going to be the next medicine cat? Is this a sign?_ She sighed and looked to Doveheart. _I have to tell Jayfeather and Lionblaze. About everything._ Confused, Skykit turned her amazing gaze to each of the leaders in turn. Their thoughts seemed to match Bramblestar's.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice. Skykit looked up to see that the patrol had returned. Lionblaze was staring at her sternly, but Skykit didn't cower away.

"I had a vision," she announced. At once, the patrol stiffened. Jayfeather passed them all and came to sit in front of her, his blue eyes surprisingly trained on her.

"Would you like to explain it to us?" he asked quietly. Skykit closed her eyes, trying to remember everything that she had been told.

"Well, I was playing with Dustpaw and Greypaw when suddenly everyone vanished. I was standing on a hill and looking down at the old camp. There were huge foxes all over it, ripping up the defenses and destroying what was left of your herbs. And then, I heard a voice, and I saw two cats."

"Who were they?" asked Jayfeather. "Warriors from StarClan?"

"Well, one was a dark ginger tom, and the other was a blue-grey she-cat. They both had stars in their pelt."

"Firestar and Bluestar?" Bramblestar said.

"They never said," answered Skykit, straining to remember. "They told me to not be afraid, and that they had come to help. I asked how they could do anything if all four of the Clans couldn't, and they laughed. Then the tom told me that he had a message for me, one that could help."

"A message!" cried all of the cats at once. Skykit tried not to look afraid, though the looks the others gave her spooked her.

"_On the death of the second night, look to the mountains. Your path will be made clear to you,"_ she reported. One of the leaders – Skykit guessed Blackstar because of his jet-black paws – pushed past Bramblestar.

"And StarClan spoke to _you,_ did they?" he snarled. Skykit felt a pang of fear, looking up at his aggressive position. She stepped backwards, ears flattening.

"Does it sound like she's making it up?" snarled Bramblestar. "The 'death of night' doesn't sound like something made up by a kit!" Skykit felt the supporting pelt of her father by her side, and she tried to relax. Lionblaze licked the top of her head to comfort her.

"Does that mean we are leaving?" another of the leaders – Mistystar, guessed Skykit, because she was the only she-cat – asked, looking to the medicine cats. One of them, a silver tabby she-cat, dipped her head.

"StarClan has told us that we are to find a new land once again," she confirmed sadly.

"They said that this place was not safe enough," added a ginger tom.

"And that the Clans must stick together to make another Great Journey," put in a mottled grey tom.

"Nothing is as it seems," sighed Jayfeather, half to himself. Skykit glanced up at the medicine cat, to see that he was lost in his own thoughts. Curious, she tried to read his thoughts. As if feeling her presence, Jayfeather jumped. He turned to Skykit and glared at her with clouded eyes.

"What are you doing?" he demanded quietly.

"Sorry, Jayfeather," mewed Skykit, trembling slightly. She looked at her paws.

"So you should be," grumbled the medicine cat. Lionblaze pricked his ears, stiffening beside Skykit at the exchange.

"Why would StarClan give one message to the medicine cats, and another to a kit?" said one of the other cats in the patrol, a black tom with gentle green eyes. Skykit tried to look small. Was everyone angry with her for receiving a message? But the tom did not seem angry, only mildly fascinated.

"Maybe it is their way of showing us her destiny," meowed the tabby she-cat. All fifteen cats stared at Skykit, and she desperately wished that they would just get over the fact that she had received the message. She stared back at them, and their thoughts seemed to echo one another's; this time, Skykit couldn't keep it to herself.

"But I don't want to be a medicine cat!" she cried out, alarming everyone.

"We never said you were, Skykit," Lionblaze said softly. Skykit looked around the faces around her: the medicine cats looked surprised, the leaders suspicious, the deputies uncertain, and Doveheart just looked sternly at her.

"Well," remarked Bramblestar before anyone could say something rude or angry, "We'll just be going now. Let's meet tonight, just the leaders and medicine cats, to decide what to make of these messages."

"Alright," agreed the only leader who hadn't spoken – Onestar, guessed Skykit.

"At twilight," agreed Blackstar curtly. "By the large rock." Bramblestar nodded and started off. Doveheart and Jayfeather followed him, and Lionblaze laid his tail on Skykit's shoulder to guide her back.

"Why is everyone so mad at me?" she asked her father.

"They aren't," Lionblaze assured her. "Everyone's just a little surprised and frustrated about how this is all turning out."

"Why?" questioned Skykit.

"Because," sighed Lionblaze, "we just got kicked out of our home, and StarClan is telling us that we have to leave again. The Great Journey was dangerous, and this time around, some cats think it will be worse."

"Oh," replied Skykit. "I see." For most of their trip, Skykit padded in silence. She didn't like having to walk so far, and she kept tripping on her paws. At last, her father picked her up by her scruff and carried her for the rest of the way. Thankful, Skykit dived into her own thoughts. _Why _did _StarClan come to me? I'm not special or anything. Am I supposed to be a medicine cat?_ She shuddered at the thought. _All I want is to be a brave warrior and defend my Clan, like any other cat. But I'm not any other cat, because of these powers. What were they for? And why didn't we know that other cats don't have them?_

"There you are!" shouted Icecloud. Skykit winced as her mother rushed to her, knowing what was coming next. "What were you thinking, running out there by yourself? You could have gotten lost, or found by foxes, or killed somewhere along the way!"

"But, I -."

"But nothing! You had no good excuse to go after your father, no matter how much you missed him!"

"Icecloud, Icecloud," said Lionblaze, setting Skykit on her own four paws. "It's alright. I'll explain later. Go on to sleep, Skykit." Skykit, thankful that her father had taken over, staggered over to where her siblings were sleeping. She curled up in a ball next to Littlekit.

"That was stupid," growled Littlekit suddenly. Skykit rolled over to see her brother's amber gaze sweeping over her. "You shouldn't have done it."

"But I had to, Littlekit," whimpered Skykit. "It was a message from StarClan."

"You mentioned," snapped Littlekit. "But couldn't you have waited until the patrol got back or something? Icecloud is right. You could have been killed."

"No way," snorted Skykit. "We're special, Littlekit, remember?"

"Not _that_ special," hissed Littlekit. "Just…go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

"Fine," responded Skykit, and she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Skykit woke up, her little brother was gone. She looked around to find that all of her littermates had gone outside to play. Skykit jumped out of her nest and bounded over to Birdkit.

"Good morning!" she said happily.

"Hi," responded Birdkit sourly. Skykit tilted her head. Was something wrong? Just as she was about to read her sister's thoughts, Birdkit rounded on her. "How come it was you who had that dream?"

"I…I don't know," stammered Skykit, taken by surprise. Was Birdkit jealous?

"Well, it doesn't seem fair to me," snapped Birdkit. "You aren't a medicine cat, and you don't want to be one…right?" Birdkit's last word sounded so desperate and forlorn that Skykit stared at her sister for a moment before answering.

"Of course!" answered Skykit, stretching her eyes wide. "I would never want to sit around in a den all day, sorting through herbs! I want to hunt in the woods with Lionblaze and Icecloud!"

"There's more to being a medicine cat than that," hissed Birdkit, now offended. Her green eyes glazed over. "You don't just fight with your claws like any other cat. You have the power to save your Clanmates from injury and sickness. And you don't have to be enemies with the other Clans all the time, because you can talk to them if you need help or something." She sighed wistfully, draping her tail over her paws. "And then you have the dreams from StarClan, dreams that your Clanmates don't."

"Do _you_ want to be a medicine cat?" accused Skykit, staring at her sister in shock. Birdkit shrugged.

"It would be nice," she sighed. "But Jayfeather would never pick me to be his apprentice. If anyone, he'll pick you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said an unfamiliar voice. Skykit and Birdkit whirled around to see a reddish she-cat with green eyes. Recognizing her as a medicine cat apprentice, Skykit dipped her head. "Kestrelflight would never have chosen me if I hadn't begged him. I'm Jaypaw, medicine cat apprentice of WindClan."

"Hello," replied Skykit.

"You're a medicine cat apprentice!" cried Birdkit, her eyes stretching wide. Jaypaw smiled and nodded. "What's it like?"

"It's fantastic," mewed Jaypaw. "I'm learning all sorts of great things, like…" She broke off. "I'll tell you about it later, if you'd like."

"Great!" said Birdkit. "I'm Birdkit."

"It's nice to meet you, Birdkit," said Jaypaw. "Do you know where Jayfeather is? Kestrelflight sent me to find him."

"He should be over with the injured cats," replied Skykit. She flicked her tail towards the little clearing where they were being watched. "In there."

"Thank you…Skykit, right?"

"That's right," meowed Skykit.

"Thank you," repeated Jaypaw. "It's nice to meet you both." She turned to Birdkit. "Remind me to tell you some more about being a medicine cat apprentice when we meet again." With that, the medicine cat apprentice turned and bounded swiftly away, as only a WindClan cat could.

"Ha!" came the voice of Mountainkit from behind them. The sisters turned to see their brother standing over Willowkit triumphantly. Skykit launched herself at her brother, pushing him off of Willowkit and onto the ground.

"Caught off-guard, are we Mountainkit?" she teased. With a play growl, Mountainkit pushed himself up, but Skykit twisted out from underneath him, so he landed empty-pawed. But before she could pounce, he launched himself backwards in the air, twisting to land on his sister. Skykit squealed from the sudden weight, but found herself pinned.

"Get him!" cried a voice. The weight vanished as Littlekit and Willowkit both pushed against Mountainkit.

"Three against one?" cried Mountainkit as Skykit sprung up to face him as well. "NOW things are fair!" When Skykit pounced, she found her brother harder than rock.

"No fair!" she shouted. "You can't do that in a fight, it's not fair!"

"I'd do it in a battle," responded Mountainkit, pushing her back with stone-hard paws. For a few moments, the four tussled playfully, Birdkit watching from a distance. As Skykit jumped up for the tenth time, a shadow fell on her. She turned to see Jayfeather and Bramblestar; the latter of the two gazed down at her firmly.

"Hello, Skykit," said Bramblestar. "I'd – we'd like to talk to you."

"S-sure," stammered Skykit weakly.

"All of you," added Jayfeather.

"All of us?" Skykit repeated, puzzled. She turned and yowled loudly; all four of her siblings turned to face her.

"What is it, Skykit?" asked Mountainkit, releasing Willowkit. "Hello, Bramblestar! Hi, Jayfeather!"

"We need to talk to you," meowed Bramblestar. "Where are Icecloud and Lionblaze?" Willowkit flicked her tail to where Icecloud and Blossomfall were sharing tongues.

"Icecloud's over there," she responded, "and Lionblaze went hunting with Cinderheart, Mouseclaw, and Bouncepaw." The leader and the medicine cat exchanged a glance.

"This can't wait," Jayfeather told Bramblestar quickly. "We don't have much time."

"What's wrong?" demanded Birdkit.

"Icecloud!" called Bramblestar. He beckoned the queen over.

"What's going on?" Mountainkit questioned.

"Yes, Bramblestar?" Icecloud asked, hurrying to stand by her kits.

"We need to talk to you and your kits."

"What did we do?" Willowkit meowed.

"It can't wait," urged Jayfeather.

"You WILL tell us what you want to talk to us about, right NOW," growled Littlekit, puffing out up as far as he could. Jayfeather bent down to stare into the kit's amber eyes. Skykit pressed up against her brother to offer support.

"Don't even _think_ about playing your little mind games on _me,"_ he hissed. Littlekit's eyes went wide, and Skykit pressed against him harder, glaring up at Jayfeather.

"S-sorry," replied Littlekit, cowering. He toughened a moment later. "But can't you tell us what's going on?"

"Not until we're out of earshot," said Jayfeather more gently. He and Bramblestar turned to lead them away, but then Jayfeather whirled around. "And don't you try anything either," he snapped at Skykit.

"Hurry," urged Bramblestar. So, with Icecloud ushering them after Bramblestar and Jayfeather, the five kits bounded off.

* * *

**Elsi: I wonder what that's all about. **

**Trek: Do you?**

**Elsi: No, I've already written it. So, let's recap about powers. **

**Trek: Skykit can read minds...and the wind.**

**Elsi: Littlekit can CONTROL minds...and 'reads' water.**

**Trek: Mountainkit can hunt and fight un-naturally well, can hear and scent things far away, and can basically become hard as rock.**

**Elsi: Birdkit can heat things up. What else heats things up that we know of?**

**Trek: And Willowkit can cool things down. What else cools things down that we know of?**

**Elsi: I know Bird and Willow don't have many powers yet. The ones above are one of three. Willowkit will be able to do something with [thing 'mentioned' above] and some cool other power. Birdkit will be able to do something with [other thing above] and some meddie cat power. Skykit and Littlekit also will have another power of their own. And all five will get...more.**

**Trek: And I'm the one that spoils things.**

**Elsi: GRRRRR... I really would like some staghorn sumac tea right now. How cool does that sound? Staghorn Sumac. Hee hee. Unfortunately, I can't use flames for that, so...**

**Trek: How about you review? **

**Elsi: Precisely! And keep reading. I already have chapter 5 (Bird) written, and chapter 6 (Mountain) is half-done.**


	7. Chapter 5: Breaking the Rules

**Elsi: Hey, everyone! Glad you're back to read chapter five! **

**Trek: Elsi does not own Warriors. Have you ever heard the name "Mouseclaw" or "Cherrymist" or "Molewhisker" in any of the books? I didn't think so. **

**Elsi: Oh, and by the way: this chapter is on crack. I know this would never happen in the actual book and blah di blah...but the kits just aren't INTERESTING unless this happens. **

**Trek: See you on the other side!**

**Elsi: **slaps****

* * *

Chapter 5: Breaking the Rules

Birdkit's paws pricked with frustration. Why couldn't anyone tell them what they were doing? She trudged on between Willowkit and Skykit, keeping her eyes trained on their guides. A new thought hit her as her gaze settled on Jayfeather: when would be the right time to tell her she wanted to be a medicine cat? Would he even accept her as his apprentice?

At last, they came to a stop.

"I'll try to make this short," Jayfeather said curtly. "The five of you are special. You can do things that other cats can't. Skykit and Littlekit, the things you do are not to be used on an everyday basis, can I make that clear? Willowkit, Birdkit, messing with your environment will cause additional problems. And Mountainkit...don't try to exercise what you can do without training from your mentor." Birdkit lashed her tail. Littlekit stepped forward.

"Doveheart has told us some of this already, when we were playing with Dustpaw and Greypaw," he meowed, sounding much older and more experienced than his four moons would show. "What else have you to say to us?"

"The other Clans will not approve of it if ThunderClan started to work with their kits when they are not apprentices," Bramblestar took up.

"You're going to work with us?" Skykit said suddenly. "On what?"

"How to be…special…warriors."

"Bramblestar, Jayfeather," Icecloud mewed suddenly. "Are you telling me that my kits have special powers?"

"Great StarClan, she doesn't know," Jayfeather meowed to Bramblestar urgently. The leader of ThunderClan paused.

"Littlekit, if you would," said Bramblestar. Birdkit stared at their leader in shock. _After telling us not to use our powers, he's asking Littlekit to use his, _she summarized. _That makes so much sense._ But Littlekit just turned to his mother sadly.

"Go along with it," he said. Icecloud stared for a moment, dazed, but then she refocused and nodded.

"Oh, I see," she meowed. "Go on, Bramblestar."

"As I was saying," continued Bramblestar, "the other Clans wouldn't approve. So, we're going to make you five…false apprentices."

"Apprentices?" said Mountainkit, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"But isn't that against the warrior code?" asked Skykit, seeming confused.

"Yes," Bramblestar mewed. "That is why you will be _false_ apprentices. You will be given apprentice names and referred to as apprentices, but among ThunderClan, you will be kits. If…" Bramblestar shook his head, "I mean when we get to our new home, you will be kits again."

"Are our false mentors going to be our real mentors?" meowed Birdkit, looking up in worry.

"Yes," said Bramblestar. Birdkit blinked twice. This was her chance! "Why do you ask?"

"Because…" she started, "Because I…" _Now's no time for second thoughts!_ "Because I want to be a medicine cat!"

There was a strange silence. Birdkit warily looked from Bramblestar to Jayfeather. The medicine cat looked slightly surprised, but made no move to accept her. Her breath caught in her throat. Was he going to say no?

"Why?" said Jayfeather at last.

"Well," meowed Birdkit, taken by surprise, "I want to do more than fight and hunt. I want to help my Clanmates when no one else can, and not have to be solid enemies with everyone all the time. I want to meet with StarClan and let them guide me. I want to learn about everything in the forest and what it can be used for and then apply it." The medicine cat nodded slowly.

"Please let her, Jayfeather," added Skykit urgently. "I talked to her earlier, and she really wants to do this."

"I'll work really hard!" pleaded Birdkit.

"As a medicine cat," started Jayfeather slowly, "you'd be able to do all those things. But there would be sacrifices. You wouldn't be able to fight in battles, or train with your friends. You wouldn't be able to have a mate or kits, and you wouldn't be able to have any doubt at all. The Clan would depend on your for everything, and you wouldn't be able to fail them."

"I don't care," mewed Birdkit. "It would be worth it." Jayfeather turned to Bramblestar.

"I thought it would be Skykit," admitted Bramblestar, "but you may choose whoever you would like as an apprentice." Jayfeather then turned back to Birdkit and stared sightlessly at her for several uncomfortable moments. Then the ghost of a smile flickered across his face for a moment.

"I couldn't ask for someone better," he decided. "I would be happy to have Birdkit as my apprentice."

"Excellent," meowed Bramblestar with a smile. "That's one problem solved."

"What about the rest of us?" asked Willowkit quietly. "Will we have mentors that understand about our powers?" Bramblestar shook his head slowly.

"Skykit will be mentored by Brackenfur," he started. "He is very aware of your special skill, so he will not be easily tricked." Skykit shuffled her paws under Bramblestar's accusing gaze. "Littlekit will be mentored by Foxleap, who does not know anything, but his strong mind may hold out over your powers." Littlekit flicked his tail, but Birdkit saw no other reaction from him. "Birdkit will, of course, be mentored by Jayfeather. Willowkit will be mentored by Mouseclaw." Birdkit pricked her ears. _Someone so young?_ "His guidance will be what you need."

"What about me?" questioned Mountainkit, stretching his blue eyes wide.

"You need a mentor who knows about the speed of your training, and your abilities," went on Bramblestar calmly. "So, this is why I have decided to mentor you myself."

"Wow!" cried Mountainkit, hopping from paw to paw. "This is great!"

"Is all of this alright with you, Icecloud?" Bramblestar asked, turning to the snowy-pelted queen. Icecloud narrowed her eyes.

"This is all for my kits' safety, yes?" she demanded. "It won't be like the old tales…"

"Oh, no," agreed Bramblestar. "They won't go to battle until it is their time to be _real_ apprentices."

"As long as their mentors don't work them too hard, I'm okay with it," relented Icecloud. Birdkit and Willowkit exchanged a glance. _I'm going to be an apprentice!_

Birdkit blinked awake as Bramblestar's call for attention sliced through her dreams. She sprung up to see that the rest of her siblings slept on.

"Good morning, Birdkit," meowed Icecloud. "Are you excited to become a _false_ apprentice?" Birdkit took note of the sharp tone in her mother's voice and sighed inwardly.

"Oh, yes!" she responded cheerfully. As much as she was disappointed to be only half an apprentice, she told herself that it was this or staying in the nursery for the journey. Birdkit shivered at the thought.

"Well, you'd best wake your littermates," said Icecloud, crossing to nuzzle Mountainkit awake. Birdkit purred in amusement and prodded Willowkit with a claw. Her sister woke with a start, her blue eyes flying wide open. Skykit took a little more coaxing to wake; it was only when Birdkit reminded her of their "apprentice ceremony" that she agreed to get up.

The five of them padded out into the clearing together, blinking in the bright morning sunlight. Birdkit led them to a space near where Bouncepaw, Dustpaw, and Windpaw were sitting.

"You five look happy," observed Bouncepaw, her blue-violet eyes alert.

"You aren't becoming apprentices today, are you?" Dustpaw asked after the littermates exchanged excited looks. "You're only four moons…"

"You look excited, too," point out Skykit, changing the subject. Birdkit murmured her agreement, dipping her head to Windpaw and Bouncepaw in turn. Windpaw held his head high, and Bouncepaw purred. Dustpaw nudged the white she-cat fondly.

"Bramblestar says we're becoming warriors today," she announced.

"Congratulations," purred Littlekit. Windpaw and Bouncepaw beamed.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" cried Bramblestar. "Today we gather for several reasons. First, the naming of new warriors. Windpaw and Bouncepaw, step forward." Windpaw held his head even higher and padded up to Bramblestar; Bouncepaw followed her friend after a brief hesitation. "StarClan, you have watched over these two apprentices as they have trained, and today, guide them to serve their Clan. Mousewhisker, you are Windpaw's mentor. Do you believe that Windpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

"He is," said Mousewhisker simply, sitting tall beside Poppyfrost, Bouncepaw's mentor.

"Windpaw, do you promise to serve your Clan at all costs, even your life?"

"I do," meowed Windpaw.

"Then from this day on you will be known as Windblow. ThunderClan honors your modesty and courage." Windblow touched his nose to Bramblestar's shoulder and backed away. Now Bramblestar's gaze rested on Poppyfrost. "Poppyfrost, you are Bouncepaw's mentor. Is Bouncepaw ready to become a warrior?"

"Yes, she is," agreed Poppyfrost. Birdkit watched happily. One day she – no…her littermates – would be up there.

"Bouncepaw, do you promise to serve your Clan at all costs, even your life?"

"I do," promised Bouncepaw.

"Then from this day on you will be known as Bouncestep. ThunderClan honors your honesty and determination."

"Windblow! Bouncestep! Windblow! Bouncestep!" cheered Dustpaw. Birdkit joined in, and soon the whole Clan was shouting along. She could see the excited gleam in Bouncestep's blue-violet eyes and the pride shining in Windblow's amber ones. As the two new warriors stepped away from Bramblestar, the ThunderClan leader flicked his tail for silence.

"I also have an announcement," he continued. Birdkit and Willowkit exchanged a look of excitement. "Due to the journey ahead, I have decided to start our apprentices' training two months early and make them false apprentices. Skykit, Mountainkit, Birdkit, Willowkit, and Littlekit, step forward." Birdkit tapped Willowkit with her tail tip and the five of them pushed through the mix of confused and doubtful faces that were her Clanmates. She forced herself to hold her head high.

"They don't seem too happy," murmured Mountainkit.

"Brackenfur," continued Bramblestar, seeming oblivious to the Clan's worry. "You have been mentor to many cats and you are ready to take on another apprentice. She will be Skypaw." Birdkit watched as her sister pushed her way up to Brackenfur to touch her nose to his. She fidgeted, anticipating her turn.

"Since we have so few mentors, I have decided that I will mentor Mountainpaw," went on Bramblestar. Mountainpaw gulped and left Birdkit's side. In response, Birdkit closed her eyes for a long moment. It was her turn next.

Suddenly, everything seemed to go into slow motion. Birdkit observed her Clanmates' anxious movements and worried glances, before turning back.

"Jaaayyyfeeeaatheerrrr," meowed Bramblestar in Birdkit's imagined slow motion. "Yoouu haaaaavvve deeeciiiidddeeeddd toooo taaaakkkke ooonnn aaann aaaapppreeennnttttiiiiccce. Shhheee wiiiillll bbbee…Birdpaw." It was this last word that made Birdpaw come to life. She took a deep breath and padded up to Jayfeather, touching her nose to his and sitting beside him. Her paws tingled with renewed excitement. Tonight she would be sleeping amongst countless herbs, watching over each of her healing Clanmates.

"Mouseclaw." Birdpaw watched as the young warrior straightened, his eyes lit up with his own excitement. Her gaze went to Willowkit, who stared into the eyes of her soon-to-be mentor. "You are a new warrior, yet you are ready to take on your first apprentice. She will be Willowpaw." Letting out a breath of relief, Willowpaw walked up to meet Mouseclaw and touched her nose to his. Willowpaw glanced at Birdpaw and smiled.

"Foxleap," stated Bramblestar, swapping his gaze to the auburn warrior between Doveheart and Toadstep. "You also are ready for your first apprentice. He will be Littlepaw." In Birdpaw's eyes, the sun seemed to shine down on Littlepaw as he crossed to Foxleap. His amber eyes were sparkling with emotions Birdpaw couldn't read, but something struck her that she had never seen in her brother…but she didn't know what.

"StarClan, watch over these five apprentices as they learn to be fine warriors of their Clan, serving your will and living by your rules. Though they will not learn complex battle techniques like their den-mates or rushing into battle, they are starting on a path the forest has never seen before. Guide their mentors to teach them enough, but not too much. Guide the Clan during these difficult days and their cats to do your will." Birdpaw blinked as Bramblestar finished. That wasn't the routine ceremony, was it? But, they weren't ordinary apprentices, either. So she flicked her tail and remained silent. The rest of the Clan didn't know what to think either. At last, Birdpaw could hear her mother's voice, rising up in chant:

"Skypaw! Mountainpaw! Birdpaw! Willowpaw! Littlepaw!" Relief filling her, Birdpaw listened to the Clan chanting her name and thought that everything was going to be alright. Though they had broken the rules and gone against the code…the Clan was okay with it. And to Birdpaw, that was all that mattered.

* * *

**Elsi: What did Idaho, boys, What did Idaho? What did Idaho, boys, what did Idaho? What did Idaho, boys, what did Idaho? I'll ask you again as a personal friend, what did Idaho?**

**Trek: She hoed a Maryland, girls, she hoed a Maryland! She hoed a Maryland, girls, she hoed a Maryland! She hoed a Maryland, girls, she hoed a Maryland! I'll tell you again as a personal friend, she hoed a Maryland!**

**Elsi: Well, now that I've creamed Trek at the State Song, we can proceed. What did you think? Was this idea TOO much on crack? **

**Trek: You did not cream me! I just don't have as...loud...vocal skills as you!**

**Elsi: That's the whole point, Trekkers. Anyways, please review and keep reading! Chapter six will be up in three minutes. Ha. But I still would like some reviews, because they make me happy. And what do you think of Windblow's and Bouncestep's names? Personally, I hate the name Windblow, but I've already used Windfoot in another story of my own, and Windmist/Windfrost/Windfern/Windnose/Windlight/Windfall...ooh, Windfall isn't as bad, but still. Should I-**

**Trek: So, yeah. Read and Review!**


	8. Chapter 6: Paths and Shadows

**Elsi: AAAAACK! Sorry for the lack-of-updates. I've been at C.A.M.P! Day camp but still. And my dad has pink-eye, so me and my sister have to watch our baby sister.**

**Trek: So in short, she apologizes.**

**Elsi: Yeah. So, I randomly decided that I'd randomly post another random chapter at a random time to see if you guys randomly remember me. He he. That's the same word four times in a sentance. Yay.**

**Trek: Elsi doesn't own Warriors. She owns this plot...and the characters you don't recognize from a book. **

**Elsi: Yups. So let's see...Lionblaze? Not mine. Crowfeather? Not mine. Mouseclaw? MINE. MY OWN. MY PRECIOUS. **

**Trek: **backs away slowly****

**Elsi: Why are you still reading this? READ CHAPTER SIX!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Paths and Shadows

Mountainpaw flexed his shoulders and padded up to Windblow, who was already crossing to keep guard with Bouncestep.

"Would you like me to tell Briarpaw?" he asked quietly. At the mention of his sister, Windblow stiffened. Then, a pained look in his eye, he nodded. Mountainpaw touched his tail tip to the new warrior's shoulder and started off towards where the injured cats were settled.

"Where are you going, Mountainpaw?" asked a voice. Mountainpaw turned to see Rustpaw and Runningpaw padding towards him.

"I'm going to tell Briarpaw about Windblow and Bouncestep becoming warriors," he responded.

"I feel so sorry for her," meowed Runningpaw. "She should have gotten her warrior name alongside them." Mountainpaw murmured a quiet agreement.

"It's sad when littermates don't get their warrior names together," agreed Rustpaw. "But I'm glad Bouncestep got to have her ceremony with Windblow. Whitewing raised her and her sister, Crouchpaw, right next to Windblow and Briarpaw."

"Why?" asked Mountainpaw.

"I'm not sure," replied Runningpaw. "All I know is that she isn't Clan-born."

"I'd like to find out," commented Rustpaw.

"It isn't a pretty story," said a new voice. Mountainpaw whirled around to see Dustpaw, his brown eyes shining with strange emotions. He cocked his head.

"Will you tell us?" his sister asked. Dustpaw blinked a few times before bowing his head and nodding slowly.

"She was born far away, in some sort of Clan. Then, one day, she and her sister and brother, Crouch and Launch, were separated from their parents. They traveled by themselves for a while, heading unknowingly towards the Clans. Launch, her brother, died on the journey, but soon they reached ThunderClan. Firestar took them in and made them apprentices along with Windblow and Briarpaw. But Crouchpaw died soon after, when she ran into one of the first foxes that invaded the territory. So Bouncestep became alone once more." Mountainpaw sat in silence for a moment, staring up at the brown and white apprentice. Behind him, Rustpaw flicked his tail, troubled, while Runningpaw stared up at the sky.

"Oh," mewed Mountainpaw at last. "Oh."

"Now you know," murmured Dustpaw, and with a dip of his head, he backed away again. Mountainpaw stared after him for a moment before remembering where he was going. Without a word to his new denmates, he continued on.

A feeble cough caught his attention, and Mountainpaw recognized the sharp scent of blood and herbs. He picked up his pace and turned into the clearing where the injured cats lay. Though Runningpaw and many others had been healed, Molewhisker, Brackenpaw, and Bumbleflight were still recovering, along with Briarpaw herself.

"Mountainpaw!" cried a familiar voice. Mountainpaw turned to see Birdpaw. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to tell Briarpaw about Windblow and Bouncestep's ceremony," he responded quietly. Birdpaw nodded, her eyes clouded with pity.

"She's awake," she whispered. "But just barely." A pang hit Mountainpaw, and he trotted up to the brown tabby she-cat.

"Hello, Briarpaw," he meowed. Weakly, Briarpaw lifted her head to look at him.

"Hi, Mountainkit," she responded softly.

"It's Mountain_paw_ now," Mountainpaw told her. "Bramblestar is making us false apprentices for the journey." Briarpaw sighed.

"Good luck," she murmured. Mountainpaw pricked his ears with surprise. _What?_

"And…there's something else," he added. Briarpaw blinked her green eyes dully, waiting for him to go on. As Mountainpaw opened his mouth to give her the news, he found that he couldn't tell her. For a moment, he stood there without speaking, staring straight at her. "There was something else…"

A tail tip touched his shoulder, and Mountainpaw turned his head to see Whitewing – Briarpaw and Windblow's mother. The look in the she-cat's eyes made Mountainpaw take a step back to allow her near her kit.

"Bramblestar made Windblow and Bouncestep warriors today," she explained, licking Briarpaw's ears. The brown apprentice lay her head on her paws and looked up at Mountainpaw and Whitewing.

"Tell them congratulations from me," she whimpered, sounding feebler than ever. "It would be no use waiting for me." With that, the she-cat closed her eyes and turned away. Mountainpaw crept away, leaving Whitewing to sit with her daughter. At once, he raced up to Birdpaw, who was watching Jayfeather apply a poultice to Brackenpaw's wound.

"Is Briarpaw doing alright?" he whispered to her. "She doesn't seem confident that she'll be a warrior." Birdpaw stiffened at the statement, and Mountainpaw flicked her with his tail.

"When we were walking over here, Jayfeather told me that he doesn't think Briarpaw's going to make it," she admitted quietly. Mountainpaw felt his breath catch in his throat at the words. He glanced over at Briarpaw, who hadn't moved since he left her side. Memories flashed back to him, and he remembered seeing Briarpaw trotting into the entrance of camp, her jaws full of fresh-kill, laughing with Bouncestep or one of the apprentices. Her eyes were always lit up with excitement at the most basic or boring activities. She would have been a good denmate.

"She's got to keep fighting," he whined, and he realized how much his voice shook. Birdpaw touched her tail tip to his shoulder, and Mountainpaw looked over at her.

"Either way, she's got a shadowy path to take before she reaches StarClan," she sighed. Mountainpaw tilted his head, but his sister only shuffled her auburn paws and walked away.

"Come on, Greypaw!" a voice called, slicing into Mountainpaw's dream. He blinked awake to see Bluepaw standing on the top of the hill they were sheltering in.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Doveheart promised she'd take the both of us hunting this morning," Bluepaw responded, turning her sapphire gaze on Mountainpaw.

"Hunting?" scoffed Greypaw, padding to meet his sister. "More like wandering through the forest, hoping for a bite to eat." As his own stomach gave a wistful growl, Mountainpaw agreed with the silver apprentice. "We're going to miss the message from StarClan, too."

"Well, good luck," he told them both. Bluepaw flicked her tail to show she had heard and bounded off.

"Mmm?" murmured Skypaw from Mountainpaw's side. Hearing her, Greypaw paused at the top of the hill, looking back. "What's happening?"

"Nothing," soothed Greypaw, walking back to her. "Bluepaw and I are going hunting. You can go back to sleep."

"Mm-kay," responded Skypaw curling up again. Greypaw smiled and gave her a small lick between the ears.

"Greypaw!" called Doveheart from far away. The tabby tom jerked his head up and sighed.

"See you later, Mountainpaw," he said quietly, and vanished over the rise. Mountainpaw murmured a response and slowly stood.

It was only him, Skypaw, and Rustpaw left in the den, but Rustpaw had been out late last night making a final check to see if the foxes had left. The reddish apprentice had woke him up stomping back into the den – well, it was really just a tiny dip in the earth – with only a word to Runningpaw about 'nothing' before falling asleep. Skypaw had been jittery all night, because as they all knew…it was the day that her message had spoken about.

Mountainpaw got to his paws and left his sister, even though it was a little before dawn. Since ThunderClan's area was the closest to the mountains, all four Clans had gathered in their space. Blinking a few times to recover from the sight, Mountainpaw caught sight of Willowpaw and her mentor, Mouseclaw. With a sigh, he padded over to them.

"Hi, Mountainpaw!" cried Willowpaw as soon as he took a seat next to her. "Aren't you excited?" She leaped into the air in her own enthusiasm.

"Woah there, Willowpaw," Mouseclaw meowed sternly, but Mountainpaw could detect the amusement in his voice.

"Look! The sun's coming up!" cried someone. All of the cats in the makeshift camp turned their gazes to the mountainside that loomed before them. It had been decided that 'death of night' referred to the dawn – which made perfect sense. As the sunlight hit the side of the mountain, there was a collective intake of breath from the four Clans. Mountainpaw stared up at the mountain, wondering what he would see.

"There's nothing there!" exclaimed some cat from up front. Whispers of uncertainty flickered throughout the Clans. Mountainpaw blinked up at the mountains in confusion, wondering what they were looking for.

"Have we gotten the riddle wrong?" murmured Willowpaw, looking up at Mouseclaw.

"I don't know," replied the young warrior. His voice was thick with worry that Mountainpaw couldn't help but share.

"What do you think, Mountainpaw?" asked Willowpaw. Mountainpaw felt her dark blue gaze on him, but he didn't turn. For high in front of him, highlighted by the sun, the rocks on the mountainside began to shift. Very quickly, they had formed a trail leading up the side of the mountain.

"Look!" he cried out, stretching his eyes wide.

"There's nothing there," responded Willowpaw. Mountainpaw shook his head.

"No, no, look! The trail! Don't you see it?"

"What trail?"

"_Look to the mountain…"_ whispered a voice in his ear.

"Stand right here," he instructed Willowpaw, placing his sister where he was standing. She squinted upwards, but nothing flashed in her eyes.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," muttered Willowpaw. Mountainpaw glanced back up at the mountain, still seeing the rocky trail shining in the sun.

"But it's right there…" he murmured, confused.

"Go tell Bramblestar!" cried Mouseclaw, jumping to his paws. "If you see something, go!" Mountainpaw gulped and nodded. Where was his false mentor, anyways? As he pushed through many cats, looking for a familiar pelt, he saw them: Bramblestar and who had to be the other three leaders.

"Bramblestar, Bramblestar!" he called out. Bramblestar whirled around.

"Yes, Mountainpaw?" he asked quietly. It was clear he was suffering from worry.

"I see something, Bramblestar," he replied. At the words, Bramblestar stiffened. His amber eyes flashed.

"What? What do you see?" Mountainpaw glanced up at the mountain again, feeling Bramblestar's gaze like fire on his pelt. He pushed his discomfort away and began to describe the trail that was paved out on the mountainside. When he was finished, he turned to his leader.

"Blackstar! Onestar! Mistystar!" he exclaimed. The other three leaders turned at once, padding towards them.

"Has another kit told you the way, Bramblestar?" sneered one of them - Blackstar, guessed Mountainpaw.

"Mountainpaw has seen a trail up the mountain," answered Bramblestar.

"What is it?" asked another – Mistystar, for sure. Once again, Mountainpaw described his trail, still confused to why no one else could see his path.

"Look to the mountain," remarked the last leader, Onestar, slowly. "What's your name?"

"M-mountainpaw," answered Mountainpaw quietly.

"Look to the mountain," repeated Mistystar, her eyes growing wide with realization. "It didn't mean the mountain_side; _it meant Mountain_paw_!" Mountainpaw gasped. Had he really been part of a prophecy?

"This is peculiar," snarled Blackstar, advancing on Mountainpaw. "First a message from a kit, now the trail comes from her littermate!"

"You aren't suggesting that five _apprentices_ could be plotting something," Bramblestar said, a tone of mocking in his voice.

"No," snapped Blackstar, turning to Bramblestar. "But their _leader_ could!" Bramblestar let out an angry hiss.

"Why would ThunderClan fake a message from StarClan!" he retorted.

"I'm sure you have your reasons," growled Blackstar.

"That's enough, Blackstar," said Mistystar quietly, flicking the black-pawed leader with her tail.

"You believe this fox-dung!" hissed Blackstar in fury. Mistystar sighed, glancing up at the mountainside.

"I don't want to," she murmured.

"But what choice do we have?" Onestar asked Blackstar. "Mountainpaw's trail may be real and it may be false. You heard the medicine cats, Blackstar: if we stay here, we will die."

"Perhaps StarClan wants to tell us something by using these apprentices as their messengers," suggested Mistystar quietly.

"If you three want to trust the daydreams of a _kit_," spat Blackstar, lashing his tail. "Go right ahead. But _I _am staying here…and so is ShadowClan."

"We aren't just trusting the visions of kits," pointed out Mistystar suddenly. "What did Jayfeather say, Bramblestar?"

"Nothing is as it seems," both leaders said in unison. Bramblestar nodded to Blackstar.

"There's your proof." Blackstar hesitated for a long moment, staring at Bramblestar, then Mountainpaw, then Bramblestar again. At last, he gave in.

"Very well," he said quietly. "Our medicine cats have spoken. We must leave."

"But when?" asked Onestar. There was silence.

"Sunrise," Mistystar said firmly. Mountainpaw watched her curiously, half wanting to melt into the crowd.

"Sunrise?" questioned Blackstar with doubt in his eyes. "Will that be enough time to prepare?"

"We have the rest of the day," pointed out Onestar. "I agree with Mistystar."

"But I agree with Blackstar," Bramblestar rumbled. "What about our injured cats?"

"RiverClan has completely recovered," Mistystar promised with concern in her eyes. "We lost one apprentice, but that is all." She paused. "Perhaps Willowshine could help whoever needs it."

"We lost no cat," Onestar remarked. "Kestrelflight could send Jaypaw. I'm sure she would be more than happy to help another Clan."

"ShadowClan has one warrior with a deep wound," Blackstar pondered.

"As does ThunderClan," added Bramblestar. "But no medicine cat could do more than Jayfeather and Birdpaw."

"Birdpaw?" Onestar echoed. "You didn't make Skykit…Skypaw…your medicine cat?"

"She wanted to be a warrior," answered Bramblestar curtly. "I say that we must wait until ThunderClan and ShadowClan have fully recovered."

"Very well," Mistystar muttered. "Send a warrior to the other Clans when that time comes." Bramblestar dipped his head and started to head back. Just noticing Mountainpaw, he hesitated; then he placed his tail tip on the apprentice's shoulder and began to guide him away.

"Do you believe Briarpaw will fully recover?" asked Mountainpaw quietly. Bramblestar didn't answer. "Birdpaw says she has a hard time ahead of her."

"I believe that Briarpaw will fight on, either way."

"Are you glad that it isn't Runningpaw?"

"I am glad that my kits are safe…but I don't wish for Briarpaw to be in the pain she is in." Mountainpaw nodded. Was this what it was like to be a leader? Having to care and worry about everyone as if they were your own kit? He observed his 'mentor' carefully; he was truly glad to have Bramblestar to train him.

"Mountainpaw! Mountainpaw!" Mountainpaw looked up to see Willowpaw hurrying over to her. Mouseclaw trotted after her, a look of fond annoyance on his face. He dipped his head in farewell to Bramblestar and padded up to meet her.

"They're going to follow my path," he reported, suddenly realizing what this meant. He blinked in shock, knowing that if he was wrong, they would probably die. Mountainpaw shivered at the thought.

"And it went well?"

"Well, Blackstar was a bit difficult, but he saw reason."

"When are we going?"

"ShadowClan has a warrior that must heal, and we're still waiting on Briarpaw to recover. Then we'll go."

"It may be earlier than you think," said a small voice behind them. Mountainpaw slowly turned to see Birdpaw, her head bowed and her eyes shut.

"Birdpaw?" Willowpaw whispered. "What do you mean?" Birdpaw slowly raised her head, opening her vibrant green eyes. A cloud of loss hung over her face, making everything die around them.

"Briarpaw died this morning."

* * *

**Elsi: BUM BUM BUM. I just killed it, didn't I? Oh well, you forgive me...right? Enough to review?**

**Trek: Let's just hope.**

**Elsi: **bashes him on the head** So, anyways, review pleeeeeease.**

**Trek: Yeah. Read and review. You read it...now you have to review.**

**Elsi: They get it. Review. Oh, and I've got a poll up: should I change Windblow's name? Votey votey!**

**Trek: I vote maybe.**

**Elsi: Uh huh. Review. HEY! Who wants to see me spell my name with nature? MEEE! PS: just skip ahead if you don't care.**

**English Ivy  
****Leaf  
****Sassafrass  
****Ironwood.**

**Trek: My turn!**

**Tulip Poplar  
Redbud  
Evergreen  
Kudzu!**

**Elsi: Unfortunately, kudzu or however you spell it, doesn't grow at my camp. So, you have to use rocK. I know, it's stupid, but I passed it like three years ago. Or was that four...?**


	9. Chapter 7: Ice and Claws

**Elsi: RAAAAAAAAA! I have written chapter 7 (the longest chapter yet) in ONE DAY! Aren't you all proud of me? So, I've got a bone to pick with you guys. For this story, I've had...let me check my traffic...over 260 hits, 4 favorites, and 2 alerts. And let's check out my grand total of reviews...wait for it...TWO! Thanks to F a l l e n C r o w n and Shockwave Syndrome for those! I really appreciate when people tell me what they think. Hint. Hint.**

**Trek: You might want to ignore her angry demand. Ansi (you'll see if you read Maniacal Manor in chapter 6 on) was in a terrible mood today, and Elsi had to clean her room. And if you read Maniacal Manor, you know that just that fact alone makes Elsi mad.**

**Elsi: Well, my room looks pretty now. I'm sitting on my windowseat for the first time in...three years...and it feels nice. And I did this chapter for you. Speaking of which, it's long. Does that make you happy with me? It's Willowpaw's chapter, and then we'll have Littlepaw's chapter. Yay! And no, I didn't go in order of their birth sequence. Mountainpaw (chapter 6) is 'older' than Birdpaw (chapter 5). So, have fun.**

**Trek: I think that was a good author's note. Oh, and Elsi doesn't own Warriors. If you don't recognize some characters, go back to alliegances. Elsi updated them. Happy reading!**

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Chapter 7: Ice and Claws

_Birdpaw slowly raised her head, opening her vibrant green eyes. A cloud of loss hung over her face, making everything else die around them. _

_"Briarpaw died this morning."_

Willowpaw stared at her sister, not quite processing what she had just said. Then several things happened at once. Mountainpaw gasped in shock, Birdpaw shuddered at the words she had just said, Willowpaw gave a shaky meow of sadness, and Mouseclaw wrapped his tail around her and pulled her close to him. Willowpaw turned into her friend's fur in sorrow. Briarpaw had…died? But she had seemed like such a fighter!

Before Willowpaw knew what was happening, tears poured from her eyes and soaked into Mouseclaw's fur. He jumped in the surprise of it. Willowpaw blinked up at him in confusion.

"That's really cold," he told her.

"Sorry," Willowpaw stuttered, not realizing that she had meddled with everything in her sadness. She shivered, and wondered why it was so cold.

"Careful, Willowpaw," warned Birdpaw quietly, and the air warmed up again. Willowpaw could still feel her mentor's tail wrapped around her, stroking her flank softly.

"It's alright," Mouseclaw soothed. Willowpaw blinked up at him through her tears. He was like her dad almost…her big brother. Yes, her older brother. Like Mountainpaw…only older. This thought in mind, Willowpaw pressed her muzzle into Mouseclaw's fur, quivering with her own tears. She couldn't bear the thought that Briarpaw, the most cheerful and brave of them all…was gone.

Mouseclaw licked the top of her head to comfort her, but it didn't do any good. For minutes they sat there, Willowpaw remembering every happy moment of Briarpaw's short life that she could remember. She imagined herself with Briarpaw, hunting out in the forest, and she could see it so vividly that she didn't even realize that she was still sitting with Mouseclaw until he moved.

"Come on," Mouseclaw urged. Willowpaw opened her eyes to see that her littermates had disappeared. "We should go sit vigil for Briarpaw." Nodding in solemn agreement, Willowpaw padded alongside her 'big brother', knowing that he would be there if she began crying again. Sensing her sorrow still, Mouseclaw touched his nose to her ear.

"It'll be alright," he soothed. "Briarpaw's with StarClan now, probably hunting a nice juicy mouse. You'll see her again." Willowpaw wondered how he must feel – being a new warrior and training a four-moon old apprentice must be difficult.

"Are you okay, Mouseclaw?" Mouseclaw turned to her in surprise. He hesitated.

"Birchfall would be my brother," he started carefully, "so I suppose I feel upset about Briarpaw. But I know she'll be okay in StarClan." He sighed, smiling. "Just imagine her now, wondering why we're making such a fuss over her. Do you remember, Willowpaw, my warrior ceremony?" Willowpaw nodded slowly, as the event was fuzzy in her mind. "Briarpaw was the first to greet me when I stepped into the crowd of congratulations. I can remember her eyes, green as the green-leaf grass, glowing with happiness for me as she made me promise not to stop being her friend. And I vowed to myself that I would be the first to greet her after her warrior ceremony." Sighing, Mouseclaw shook his head. "Now I can never fulfill that promise. But I know she wouldn't have wanted to die any other way: as a brave member of ThunderClan, fighting for her home and her Clan."

"Oh, Mouseclaw…" began Willowpaw, her heart aching.

"If only you could have really gotten to know her," Mouseclaw added, meeting Willowpaw's pale blue gaze for the first time. "You would have loved her like the rest of us did." Willowpaw nodded.

By this time, they had walked all the way to where the rest of the Clan were sitting vigil. Jayfeather was silently preparing Briarpaw's body for burial; Birdpaw was tagging along behind him to watch his every move. Whitewing and Birchfall were crouched beside their daughter's body – Whitewing was weeping. Windblow and Bouncestep sat on the other side of Briarpaw, their heads bowed identically. Dustpaw was pressed up against Bouncestep, offering her a few words of comfort. Willowpaw let Mouseclaw file through the crowd of cats to sit with Windblow; he stared up at the sky with closed eyes. Instead of going to join him, Willowpaw found where Littlepaw, Mountainpaw, and Skypaw watched at the edge of the circle. Most of the other warriors were briefly grieving before turning away – only the apprentices, who had loved Briarpaw dearly, remained faithfully alongside the few that stayed.

"She hunts with StarClan now," murmured a voice. Willowpaw turned to see Icecloud. The white she-cat licked each of her kits in turn. "Don't be sad, little ones. You'll see Briarpaw again."

"How many cats have died since we were born?" asked Littlepaw. "I remember Rosepetal used to come to play with us, before she went to StarClan."

"Well," started Icecloud gently. "There was Rosepetal, as you remember, and Brightheart and Spiderleg went with her. You remember them, don't you?" Willowpaw nodded, thinking back. She could remember Brightheart most of all, because she had watched Molewhisker training with her, trying to copy what they were doing. "And then there was Stealthpaw and Rustpaw's sister, Petalkit, who joined StarClan last leaf-bare, right when you were born. And Daisy died a few days before that." Willowpaw watched her mother. If this was what it was like for one cat to die, how would she manage if many cats died all at the same time? Willowpaw shivered to herself, trying to stay positive.

Beside her, Skypaw went stiff. A chill – and not the normal, Willowpaw ones – rushed through Willowpaw's body, forcing her to tense up as well. From beside Jayfeather and Briarpaw's body, Birdpaw suddenly froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mountainpaw and Littlepaw become still as well.

"Willowpaw." From the interior of the circle, Briarpaw rose and walked past the others. But to her amazement, the rest of the Clan didn't move.

"Briarpaw?" Willowpaw breathed, unable to believe what she was seeing. She took a few steps forward to touch her nose to the she-cat. Briarpaw laughed, and for the first time, Willowpaw noticed the stars shining in her brown fur. Purring, Briarpaw leaned close to her, so her breath was warm on Willowpaw's ears.

"Never let sharp claws pierce your icy heart," she whispered, and then, Willowpaw jerked backwards in surprise. When she looked again, Briarpaw was gone.

"What just happened?" she breathed. Littlepaw flicked her flank with his tail.

"I think…" he meowed quietly, "we all got a message." Willowpaw quivered with fear.

"Why is all of this happening to us?" she squeaked. "We aren't even five moons old! We can't do this!"

"Already, we're acting like the other apprentices," Skypaw pointed out quietly. "Other kits our age only focus on games and being the 'best warriors ever'. But we can't ever focus on that, can we? We aren't normal kits."

"I want to be a regular kit!" wailed Willowpaw. "I wish I'd never been born with this…this…power! I don't care about how cold the stupid air is! I don't want to have to deal with all this stuff! Who knows what we're going to become! I just want to be a warrior! Is that too much to ask?" Mountainpaw sighed.

"I want to be a warrior more than anything in the world," he said slowly. "But now I can see that I'll never be like Lionblaze or Icecloud, because I'll always have to deal with these stupid senses of mine."

"Shh!" hissed Skypaw suddenly, and for the first time, Willowpaw noticed that the rest of her Clan-mates hadn't been moving. But now they were, and she fell silent.

"We need a place to talk," Littlepaw mewed, "somewhere where we won't be found." Skypaw and Mountainpaw murmured agreement.

"No!" cried Willowpaw suddenly. "Who cares? I just want to wait, okay? Wait until this is all over?"

"Until what is all over, darling?" Icecloud meowed from behind them.

"This stupid journey!" cried Willowpaw. "Why did this happen to us? I want to go home!"

"We will go home," meowed Icecloud. "Our new home."

"NO!" yelled Willowpaw. "I want to go to our _real_ home, where everyone was happy…and life was simple! I wish this would all just…just…just…STOP!"

To her surprise, it did. For a moment, a thin layer of mist – no, ice – covered everything but Willowpaw, and then she felt weak and dizzy; she let out a deep breath, and it was gone.

"Once we get where we're going, things will go back to normal again," meowed Icecloud, licking the top of Willowpaw's head. Willowpaw didn't really hear her. Her paws suddenly felt like something was pulling them down, and it was hard to breathe.

"Willowpaw?" murmured Littlepaw quietly. "Are you alright?" Willowpaw sat down and took a few deep breaths before replying.

"I feel really weak," she whispered. "And dizzy." Icecloud crouched down next to her.

"Do you need Jayfeather to take a look at you?" Willowpaw shook her head.

"He's busy with Briarpaw," she meowed, and she was surprised at how steady her voice was.

"Skypaw!" called a voice. Willowpaw looked up as her sister rushed a farewell and bounded away, towards where Brackenfur was waiting with Cinderheart and Molewhisker. Her mouth watered as she scented Doveheart and Toadfoot padding in with their jaws full of mice; Bluepaw and Greypaw followed with a mouse each.

"We found a huge nest!" Greypaw called to his Clan-mates as they placed the fresh-kill on the pile. Willowpaw found her mouth watering.

"We'd better go tell them what happened," Mountainpaw meowed.

"And get a mouse to share," added Littlepaw. The three littermates padded up to Greypaw and Bluepaw.

"What happened this morning?" Bluepaw demanded, her sapphire eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I…er…" Mountainpaw started slowly, "There was a path up the mountain. We decided to leave when every Clan had recovered…but…" His voice caught. With surprising steadiness, Littlepaw stepped forward and looked Bluepaw in the eye.

"Briarpaw is dead," he reported without a single movement.

"Wh-what?" gasped Bluepaw. Greypaw just blinked a few times in shock.

"Briarpaw couldn't make it, and she died this morning," confirmed Skypaw. "She hunts with StarClan now." The look in Bluepaw's eyes reminded Willowpaw of melting ice, and it sent another cold chill to her heart.

"Willowpaw!" At Mouseclaw's call, Willowpaw bounced to her paws.

"See you later," she said to Littlepaw, Stealthpaw, and Bluepaw.

"Bye, Willowpaw," meowed Bluepaw lazily. Willowpaw glanced up at the sky, to see that it was only a little bit after sun-high. To her, it felt like it had been at least three days. Shaking her head, she charged over to her mentor. Mouseclaw smiled down at her.

"Ready to get going?" Lionblaze asked. Willowpaw cocked her head.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To tell the other Clans that ThunderClan is ready to go," explained Mouseclaw. Willowpaw nodded, staring down at her paws. She slipped her claws in and out, focusing on that and not Briarpaw.

"Where are Berrynose and Thornclaw?" muttered Lionblaze, searching around.

"Sorry, Lionblaze," meowed Thornclaw, hurrying up with Runningpaw beside him. "Bramblestar asked me to take Runningpaw with us, because Whitewing will be grieving for Briarpaw." Lionblaze flicked his tail in acknowledgement and continued looking out for Berrynose.

"There you are!" snapped Lionblaze as Berrynose came trotting along slowly. The cream-colored tom snorted.

"You're acting like Bramblestar used to," he muttered. Lionblaze flicked his tail in irritation, but Willowpaw perked her ears. Bramblestar used to be like her father? Lionblaze took the lead, letting Thornclaw and Berrynose fall in behind him. Runningpaw and Willowpaw padded side by side, and Mouseclaw took up the lead.

"This is exciting, isn't it?" Runningpaw meowed cheerfully. Willowpaw nodded in agreement but said nothing. She wanted to see the other Clans up close to compare them to ThunderClan cats.

First they approached WindClan's makeshift camp. A small white she-cat, followed by a dark grey tom and a light brown tabby she-cat with blue-violet eyes – like Bouncestep's – padded up to the patrol.

"Greetings, Lionblaze," said the white she-cat.

"Whitetail," replied Lionblaze, dipping his head to the deputy of WindClan. Willowpaw couldn't take his eyes off of the grey tom. Why did he look so much like…

"That's Crowfeather," whispered Mouseclaw, bending down to talk to her without anyone hearing. "Lionblaze's father." Willowpaw looked up at him in slight surprise. But when she turned back to look at Crowfeather, she could see Jayfeather as well, and, even scarier, Skypaw, in his figure. Now her gaze switched to the other she-cat, who was lashing her tail from side to side as she gazed at Lionblaze.

"What can we help you with?" Whitetail asked now, meeting Lionblaze's amber eyes.

"Tell Onestar that ThunderClan is ready to move on," meowed Lionblaze politely.

"Your warrior is healed, then?" she meowed.

"Briarpaw hunts with StarClan," Thornclaw put in. Whitetail at once looked concerned.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I remember Briarpaw. She was going to be a great warrior."

"Yes," Lionblaze said softly. He nodded briskly. "Well, we need to move on. Goodbye, Whitetail, Crowfeather." As Lionblaze said his father's name, Willowpaw noticed that both toms seemed slightly tenser. "Heathertail." But the tension to Crowfeather was friendly compared to how he spat out Heathertail's name. The patrol began to head off again, but Willowpaw turned around to watch Heathertail's blue-violet gaze trained on her as she left.

"WindClan's being very friendly," Runningpaw pointed out as soon as they were out of sight of the camp.

"I suppose they know that we'll all have to be close on the journey," Mouseclaw suggested from behind them. Willowpaw murmured her agreement.

"That's no reason to leave their camp unguarded," snapped Berrynose. Mouseclaw's eyes dropped to his paws for a split second.

"We'll all have to be friendly on the journey," Thornclaw told him quickly.

Next, they came to RiverClan's temporary camp.

"Hello, Swallowleaf, Rainstorm," meowed Lionblaze. Willowpaw looked past the warriors to see a dark grey tom and a pale grey she-cat with silky fur. So RiverClan cats DID have glossy pelts! "May we speak to Mistystar or Reedwhisker?"

"For what reason?" asked the tom, Rainstorm.

"It's about the journey," Lionblaze told him quickly. Rainstorm eyed the patrol and nodded curtly.

"Only two warriors," he said as they started inside. Lionblaze turned around.

"Thornclaw, Berrynose," he called out. Thornclaw dipped his head to Swallowleaf as he entered after Rainstorm and Lionblaze; Berrynose glanced smugly at Mouseclaw.

"Hello, Swallowleaf," said Mouseclaw. "It is good to see you again." Swallowleaf smiled.

"And you, Mouseclaw." Her eyes settled on the two apprentices.

"I'm Runningpaw," Runningpaw started. "Whitewing's apprentice. And this is Willowpaw -."

"My apprentice," finished Mouseclaw. "ThunderClan has many apprentices this season."

"Indeed," meowed Swallowleaf, looking between Mouseclaw and Willowpaw, obviously jealous that the warrior already had an apprentice. "Pleased to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Swallowleaf," meowed Willowpaw politely.

"Is she as good an apprentice as she seems?" asked Swallowleaf. Willowpaw looked at her paws, feeling warm inside.

"I've only been an apprentice for a few days," she murmured, but Mouseclaw wrapped his tail around her and smiled.

"She's very clever, and eager to learn," reported Mouseclaw. "I'm glad to have her." Willowpaw couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"And is Mouseclaw being a good mentor, Willowpaw?" asked Swallowleaf.

"Oh, yes," replied Willowpaw, batting her mentor with her forepaws. "I feel like the luckiest apprentice in the world!" Mouseclaw licked his chest fur self-consciously, but Swallowleaf just laughed a clear laugh.

"And how is your training going, Runningpaw?" she continued, turning to the cream-colored apprentice.

"Whitewing and I trained a lot before the battle, but ever since we haven't done that much. We were both hurt in the attack, and…" Runningpaw's words were cut short as she started to get to the part about Briarpaw. Mouseclaw lay his tail tip on the she-cat's shoulder.

"Whitewing's daughter died from a neck wound in the battle," he told Swallowleaf sadly.

"Briarpaw?" gasped Swallowleaf. Mouseclaw nodded grimly. "Oh, how terrible!"

"My sister is Jayfeather's new apprentice," Willowpaw meowed. "She was there."

"I'm so sorry," murmured Swallowleaf, bowing her head. "I remember how cheerful she was."

"I'll be sure to tell Bramblestar." Lionblaze's voice brought all four cats back to attention. Mistystar was escorting the other half of the patrol out of their makeshift camp. "Thank you, Mistystar."

"I'm sorry to hear about Briarpaw," Mistystar responded. "Take care, Lionblaze."

"We will," responded Lionblaze. "Come on. We still have to visit ShadowClan."

"Goodbye, Swallowleaf," Mouseclaw mewed. "See you on the journey."

"Goodbye, Mouseclaw. It was nice to meet you, Runningpaw and Willowpaw." Willowpaw was still a bit spooked by the way Mouseclaw had said 'see you on the journey'. It was as if everyone was expecting them to take off in a second, and become friends in two. She shook the thought from her mind and followed the patrol away.

"I had expected them to be a little friendlier," snapped Berrynose. Willowpaw rolled her eyes.

As soon as they reached ShadowClan, Lionblaze called an alert. At once, two warriors rushed towards them, teeth bared. Willowpaw forced herself not to let out a squeak of surprise. Runningpaw unsheathed her claws and pressed up against the false apprentice.

"We come with a message," called Lionblaze, standing his ground.

"A message?" leered one of the warriors, a black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat.

"For Blackstar," insisted Thornclaw. The other, a black tom, paused.

"Should we take them?" he asked. The she-cat observed them through narrowed eyes.

"Do we really look like a battle party?" asked Lionblaze. When she didn't reply, he continued, "Ivytail, Scorchfur, please. It concerns the journey." Ivytail narrowed her eyes.

"Very well," she snapped, and led them inside.

"Thank you," Lionblaze added. Willowpaw stuck close to Runningpaw, who stood tall.

"You can't look like you're afraid," she whispered. "They'll only target you." Willowpaw murmured her thanks and forced herself to stand tall under the harsh glances of the ShadowClan cats.

"Blackstar!" called Ivytail. Blackstar looked up from where he was talking with Oakfur and Rowanclaw. At once, he jumped up.

"ThunderClan cats?" he asked skeptically. Lionblaze dipped his head; the others followed his lead.

"We came to tell you that ThunderClan is ready to leave."

"It is fast for your warrior to heal," replied Blackstar, flicking his tail. Lionblaze sighed.

"Briarpaw has joined StarClan," he meowed in response. "Whenever you're ready, send us a message." Blackstar nodded curtly, not even offering a word of comfort.

"We will," he snapped.

"Come on, ThunderClan," Lionblaze said. "Let's go back to camp." Willowpaw smiled as they left quickly.

"So, what did you think of the other Clans?" asked Mouseclaw.

"I thought WindClan were friendly, RiverClan were very well-fed and cheerful, and ShadowClan were just plain grumpy," she meowed. Mouseclaw laughed. "But I'm ready to go to sleep."

"Well, that's where we're going," said Lionblaze, seeming calm after his mission was completed. Willowpaw smiled and dropped back beside Mouseclaw, who had fallen behind the others.

"It sounded like you knew Swallowleaf," Willowpaw pointed out.

"We talk at gatherings," responded Mouseclaw. "So, yes, we know each other."

"What kind of things do you talk about with cats of other Clans?" she asked. "I mean, you can't talk about the latest ThunderClan news…"

"Well, in a way, you can," Mouseclaw told her. "You can tell them which queens are expecting kits, which apprentices have done extraordinary deeds and things like that. You just have to be careful, and let Bramblestar do most of the announcements." Vaguely, Willowpaw wondered if she'd make any 'friends' at a gathering, or on the journey. Although, she thought, they were more like one big Clan on the journey. _And wouldn't it be easier that way? We wouldn't have to fight over food or boundaries, or anything. Everyone would be connected with each other, because they would all be one big Clan. Wouldn't that make everything easier?_

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**Elsi: Hmmmm...what do we think? Does this chapter send shivers down your spine? No? Do you remember chapter 2 by any chance? No? Well, Doveheart has a particularly interesting point that connects with this chapter. I mean...icy heart? Hmmm...**

**Trek: You like foreshadowing.**

**Random person: What's foreshadowing?**

**Hermione: Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot point is mentioned early in the story to return later in a more significant way.**

**Snape: A-perfect.**

**Elsi: Okay, then. There's your A Very Potter Musical referance of the chapter. ANYWAYS, I would like it if I had a few more reviews...is that okay? My crazy apologies, but NO ONE ever wants to give me feedback at school for my stuff, so it frustrates me that NO ONE will here! Except my two reviewers. Thanks again! Flames will be used to...hmm...burn Denethor? Sound good? And be ready for Chapter 8 - they FINALLY start the journey. Sorry it took so dang long. I hate their makeshift camps. So confusing. Anyways, reviews = happy Elsi = better chapter? Kay?**


	10. Chapter 8: A Journey's Beginning

**Elsi: I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! And, I've watched A Very Potter Sequel. Not to mention I've finished this chapter.**

**Trek: What else did you want to say?**

**Elsi: I wouldn't forget that! Thanks to mossfire25, Milkshake22, and Anonymous for my reviews! I got more reviews for Chapter 7 than I did the rest of the story put together. **

**Trek: In Jayfeather's vision, the kits were standing according to their 'age'. Skypaw was first, staring up at the stars, I think. Then Mountainpaw, looking at the mountain; Birdpaw with the herbs; Willowpaw with the icy pool of water; and Littlepaw gazing back at ThunderClan camp. Why was Littlepaw looking there? I'm not going to tell you!**

**Elsi: Right then. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter 8: A Journey's Beginnings

Littlepaw was grooming himself when the strange scent hit his nose. His ears perked and he looked towards where five ShadowClan cats were padding into camp, flanked by Bumbleflight and Sorreltail.

"Look at that," he meowed to Stealthpaw. The mottled apprentice picked his head off his paws and flicked his tail.

"I hope that means we can finally get moving," he meowed. "I'm sick of this camp." Littlepaw murmured agreement. With four Clans squashed into their makeshift camps and the little scenery around it, nothing was comfortable anymore. There wasn't enough prey to go around; disputes were becoming more common; and everyone was upset overall.

"What do you hear, Mountainpaw?" Littlepaw asked so Stealthpaw couldn't hear. The big grey tom had his head cocked, listening to the discussion of Oakfur and Bramblestar.

"Redwillow has healed," he reported quietly. "Mistystar suggests we leave before dawn, and Onestar has agreed to her suggestion. Bramblestar thinks that's fine. We're all going to meet at the big boulder early tomorrow. Bramblestar is saying that it'll be like another Great Journey. Oakfur agrees…but the rest of the patrol is unsure."

"Who's in the patrol?" questioned Littlepaw, keeping an eye on their den-mate.

"Rowanclaw," Mountainpaw said, scenting the air. "And then there's Dawnpelt, Kinkfur, Starlingflight, and some apprentice. A she-cat, for sure."

"A well-balanced patrol," murmured Littlepaw. The moment he said it, he shook his head. How should he know that?

"Looks like they're agreeing on something!" Stealthpaw called out, getting to his paws. "I'm going to go ask Cloudtail." He bounded away.

"We've got to be careful around them," Littlepaw said idly. He sighed, putting his head on his paws and stretching out. "Wake me around sun-down, alright, Mountainpaw?"

"Okay," replied Mountainpaw, and Littlepaw drifted into a dreamless light sleep.

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The next day, Littlepaw woke up to a fierce prodding in his side. He cracked opened his amber eyes to see Greypaw poking him awake.

"I'm up, I'm up," he grumbled. Greypaw relaxed, sitting back on his haunches.

"Sorry, Littlepaw," the older apprentice meowed. "Doveheart and Cloudtail told us to wake everyone up." An excited tremble went through Littlepaw. They were leaving today! Now!

"Ready to trek over the mountains?" asked Skypaw, coming up from behind him. Littlepaw stretched, feeling his stiff muscles prepare for their climb.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he meowed in response.

"I hate waking up early," grumbled Willowpaw suddenly, as she blinked awake. Runningpaw had been nosing her gently.

"So do we all," laughed the creamy she-cat. "Come on, Willowpaw. The rest of us are already awake and ready to go." As he looked around, Littlepaw spotted them all. Stealthpaw was supporting Rustpaw, who was still half-asleep. Brackenpaw and Dustpaw were stretching over to the side of the 'den', and Bluepaw was glaring at the nearest person through tightly narrowed eyes. It was clear that she didn't want to get up.

"Where's Mountainpaw?" Littlepaw asked.

"Bramblestar wanted him," replied Stealthpaw. "Probably for some tips. Cloudtail gave me some when he woke me up."

"I wonder if Foxleap will give me any advice," Littlepaw wondered aloud, trying to keep the conversation off of his brother.

"I know Brackenfur will have some tips for me," Skypaw sighed. "I'd better go find him." She slipped away, saying her goodbyes to her den-mates.

"Should I find Mouseclaw?" Willowpaw pondered.

"No," Brackenpaw said suddenly. "He'll come find you if he wants you." Littlepaw raised his eyebrows (AN: yes, I know cats don't have eyebrows) at the golden tom, but Brackenpaw had already turned his attention to the mountain. Following that lead, Littlepaw looked up at the looming crags and felt his stomach twist. He looked around at each of his denmates. Would they survive the terrifying climb over those peaks? Would he?

Shaking the thought from his mind, Littlepaw started to head after Skypaw.

"I'm going to see if Lionblaze has any tips for heading over the mountains," he meowed, starting away.

"Mind if I come with you?" A moment later, Dustpaw had leaped up to his side. Littlepaw shrugged, and the apprentice fell into step with him.

"Is it nice to have Bramblestar as your father?" asked Littlepaw. Dustpaw glanced at him in surprise; then he shrugged.

"It's interesting," he replied. "He gives me great advice some times, but he can't come to talk to us as often, because he's so busy. I guess it's the same having Lionblaze as a father." Littlepaw nodded, wanting to make small talk with Dustpaw. Who didn't feel comfortable around the gentle and loyal tom? He was fun to talk to…when he wasn't on the topic of Bouncestep, of course.

Both of them were completely enamored with the other. Bouncestep's tears became Dustpaw's tears, and Dustpaw's pride became Bouncestep's pride. Somewhere deep inside of him, Littlepaw felt a pang of jealousy. There wasn't a single she-cat he could even think about getting to know that well. Shaking these thoughts from his head, Littlepaw turned back to Dustpaw.

"Are you nervous about the journey?" questioned Littlepaw.

"Oh, yes," admitted Dustpaw, turning his stare up to the mountainside. "I just know something's going to happen up there, and we're going to lose someone." Littlepaw shivered; he realized that Dustpaw's words had an ominous ring to them. How many cats would fall to their deaths on those looming slopes?

* * *

Littlepaw walked between Stealthpaw and Mountainpaw, looking up at the mountains that towered above them. Scents flooded his senses: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan. Already, cats from different Clans walked side by side, discussing whatever seemed to pass into their minds. Looking past his friends, he could see Windblow walking with a ShadowClan she-cat; Mouseclaw and Willowpaw chatting idly with a RiverClan she-cat; Bouncestep, Dustpaw, and Runningpaw chatting with two WindClan toms. It amazed him to see everyone getting along…before the peril had started.

"Hey, Littlepaw," Mountainpaw said, making Littlepaw focus back on his brother. "Want to go find Icecloud? Remember, she wants us to talk to her every once and a while."

"Isn't it your turn?" whined Littlepaw. Mountainpaw flicked his tail.

"No, I went right before Skypaw," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't envy you right now," Stealthpaw commented with a snort. "It's too bad ShadowClan's warrior healed before you could become actual apprentices."

"I'll show you who's an apprentice!" cried Mountainpaw, pouncing on Stealthpaw. Littlepaw prodded both quickly.

"Come on!" he said quickly. "We don't want to be left behind!"

"That's right," snapped Toadstep from behind them. He nudged each of them forward. "So let's go."

"Sorry," meowed Mountainpaw, ducking his head quietly. Blossomfall's whiskers twitched.

"You'd best run along and tell Icecloud how you're doing," the pregnant she-cat told them. "She'll be worried about you."

"Alright," gave in Littlepaw. "I'll go." He pushed past Stealthpaw and headed into the swarm of cats, weaving between huge warriors and bouncing apprentices.

"Watch it!" growled a dark grey tom from RiverClan. Littlepaw shrank back.

"Sorry!" he squealed, just realizing how small his voice sounded. The warrior snorted and continued on, rushing to catch up to a pale grey she-cat. Littlepaw shivered and turned forward, in the direction of the mountains. Where was his mother, anyways? He had forgotten to ask! _Calm down, Littlepaw,_ he thought fiercely, _there's a ThunderClan cat around here somewhere._ Intent on finding a familiar face, he picked up a brisk pace and headed back through the cats. But the colors were blurring in front of him to a strange mix, and Littlepaw's heart rate picked up. He was lost.

"Are you lost, little one?" asked a voice. Littlepaw spun around to see a light brown tabby she-cat and three kits spilling around her paws. By her scent, he could tell she was from WindClan. Trying to look brave, he straightened up.

"I'm looking for my mother. She wanted to see me," he replied, hoping that he sounded like an apprentice instead of a kit.

"Maybe I can help you find her," suggested the she-cat. "What is your mother's name?"

"Icecloud," Littlepaw told her, feeling a little more comfortable.

"Oh, you're Lionblaze's son, aren't you?" Littlepaw nodded, resisting the urge to sigh in relief. "I'm Sedgewhisker." _Sedgewhisker._ Littlepaw remembered the name from his father's tale of how he and Doveheart had gone to fetch the water.

"I'm Littlepaw," said Littlepaw, glad that he had said _paw_ instead of _kit_ under the pressure.

"Little_paw_?" asked one of the kits, peering out behind his mother. He had his mother's tabby pelt.

"Why do you think they named me _Little_paw?" snapped Littlepaw before he could help himself.

"Thrushkit, apologize to Littlepaw at once!" cried Sedgewhisker sternly. Thrushkit rolled his eyes, but muttered a quick "sorry". Littlepaw shrugged this off.

"Sedgewhisker? Are you coming?" The queen looked up at a dark brown tabby tom – the kits' father, probably.

"We're just helping Littlepaw here find Icecloud," Sedgewhisker responded with a smile. "Don't worry, Leaftail." Leaftail nodded slowly and started walking again. Flicking her tail for him to follow, Sedgewhisker started off. Thrushkit followed her.

"Sorry about Thrushkit," said a voice. Littlepaw turned to see the other two kits, whose names he didn't know. The one that had spoken was a reddish she-cat with vibrant green eyes; the other was a dark brown tabby like her father. "He's usually a lot of fun."

"That's alright," meowed Littlepaw, starting after Sedgewhisker with the two flanking him. "I'm small for my age." The red she-cat smiled.

"How old are you?" her sister asked skeptically.

"F- six moons," stammered Littlepaw. "I'm ThunderClan's youngest apprentice."

"ThunderClan!" declared the reddish cat. "What's it like?" She paused. "I'm Ivykit, by the way. That's Lizardkit."

"Nice to meet you," purred Littlepaw. He smiled at her energy. "ThunderClan is great. We hunt in the woods, so it's not like WindClan. But it takes up less energy."

"All that running isn't so hard," meowed Lizardkit. "We were born to do it, just like you were born to stalk your prey." Littlepaw blinked a few times.

"How old are you?" he asked at once, praying that they were younger than him.

"Around four moons," Lizardkit told him. Littlepaw nearly breathed out a sigh of relief, but he bit his tongue right on time.

"So what's Thrushkit upset about?" he asked casually. Ivykit and Lizardkit exchanged a glance.

"You know Jaypaw, Kestrelflight's apprentice?" Ivykit meowed. Littlepaw nodded, thinking of the lively reddish she-cat. _Kind of like Ivykit,_ he thought to himself. "Well, she and her brother, Hailpaw, were made apprentices a few days early, so they could start training when the foxes started threatening us. He wants to be an apprentice, too."

"But we're only four moons!" hissed Lizardkit. "They were at least five and a half." Ivykit rolled her eyes.

"But Thrushkit doesn't care," she reminded her sister. Lizardkit snorted. Ivykit turned back to Littlepaw, her green eyes gleaming. "Do you have any littermates, Littlepaw?"

"Four," responded Littlepaw.

"Four!" cried Ivykit, her green eyes wide. "What are they like?"

"Well, there's Mountainpaw, who's a fighter in everything," Littlepaw started, happy to tell them about his littermates. "And Birdpaw. She's Jayfeather's apprentice, but she loves to explore other things about life. Then Willowpaw, who gets really soft or really hard without warning, but she makes peace a lot. And Skypaw, who's more like…like…a medicine cat, only with a warrior's ambition."

"Skypaw!" declared Ivykit. "Didn't she give us the message from StarClan?" Littlepaw sighed and nodded. "That must be hard, to be known as the brother of the messenger." Littlepaw looked up at her in shock. He had expected her to go on and on about Skypaw. But Ivykit's eyes shone with pity.

"It's not that bad," he mewed honestly. "It was only that one time." _Right?_

"Wait a second," Lizardkit said suddenly. "Wasn't Skypaw called Sky_kit_ then?"

"Well, we, uh…" stammered Littlepaw.

"Littlepaw, there you are!" Littlepaw looked up to see Icecloud rushing towards him. Mountainpaw and Stealthpaw were right behind her. Letting out a sigh of relief, Littlepaw padded up to meet his mother, who licked him hard.

"Thank you, Sedgewhisker," meowed Icecloud. "He won't wander off again, right, Littlepaw?"

"I'm not a kit," grumbled Littlepaw. Icecloud huffed, opening her mouth to give a sharp lecture.

"That's alright," Sedgewhisker soothed. "I was glad to help." Littlepaw sighed and padded to meet his friends.

"Bye, Littlepaw!" called Ivykit, smiling. "See you around sometime!"

"Bye, Ivykit," he responded. "Thanks, Sedgewhisker." The brown tabby flicked her tail, discarding this. But as they padded away, he smiled as she said to Thrushkit, "now there's a kit with manners!" Then, he remembered that he wasn't a kit, and he glanced back. Did she know? No, no…she couldn't.

"You had us worried there, Littlepaw," Mountainpaw told him quickly. "You didn't come back."

"I forgot to ask you where Icecloud was," Littlepaw responded. "So I got lost."

"Well done," Stealthpaw laughed. "Come on, let's go see if we can find Rustpaw and the others." Bidding farewell to Icecloud again, the three apprentices bounded through the crowd of cats to find their friends.

Littlepaw kicked angrily at the stone beneath his paws as he curled up to sleep. Mountainpaw picked up his head.

"Is something wrong, Littlepaw?" he asked quietly.

"I hate this place!" Littlepaw growled, so loudly that Rustpaw grunted in his sleep. "There's no shelter, little food, and almost no water!"

"Feel the rock under your paws, Littlepaw," Mountainpaw instructed. Littlepaw did so, tapping his unsheathed claws at the tough surface of the rocky cliff they had stopped on.

"It hurts my paws, and it's dry," he reported. Mountainpaw cocked his head.

"Can't you feel that tingling in your claws?" he asked. Littlepaw sat down, confused.

"What?" he meowed. Mountainpaw slowly got to his feet, rubbing the pads of his paws along the stone.

"It's calling to me," he whispered, "telling me something."

"The rock…is talking to you," repeated Littlepaw. Mountainpaw nodded. He closed his eyes, breathing in the air around them and getting a firm grip on the rock underneath him. And suddenly, Littlepaw felt a fierce shiver run up his spine, making him quiver slightly. Without thinking, Mountainpaw lifted his paw carefully. And Littlepaw could see why he was shivering.

The rock came with it.

"Woah!" yowled Littlepaw. Mountainpaw's eyes flew open, and the stone flopped back down to its original level. The strange quiver in the air was gone. He paused, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Do it again." This time, Mountainpaw focused, hard, on the rock beneath his right forepaw - it was still in the air. Nothing happened. Frowning, Mountainpaw narrowed his eyes in concentration. From around them, Littlepaw could hear a faint murmur in the air, but it was nothing like before.

"I…I can't," meowed Mountainpaw after several moments. Littlepaw sighed in disappointment. Mountainpaw drooped, curling back into a ball and closing his eyes.

"Maybe you'll be able to do it tomorrow," Littlepaw commented, settling himself down next to his brother.

"Maybe," mumbled Mountainpaw, but it was clear he didn't believe that. Littlepaw sighed. What had happened to his brother, anyways? Would it happen again? Was this some power that Mountainpaw had? Would the rest of them get ones like it? Sighing, Littlepaw shook all thoughts from his mind and settled into a dark sleep.

* * *

**Elsi: Well? What did you think? Was Mountainpaw's random ability described well enough? Were you like WHA? for the whole thing? And what did you think of Ivykit, Lizardkit, and Thrushkit? One of them is going to become a major character throughout the series. Want to take a guess at who it is?**

**Trek: Will it be Lizardkit, who is on the verge of discovering their secret? Or will it be Ivykit, who seems to be friends with Littlepaw already? And what about Thrushkit, who could possibly become his rival?**

**Elsi: Be on the lookout for chapter 9, which will be in...Skypaw's POV, I think. **checks outline** Yeah, Skypaw. So look forward to that. And please review! It would make my day. :)**


	11. Chapter 9: Dark Shadows

**Elsi: RAWR! Two chapters in one weekend! I am on fire! So, anyways, this is chapter nine.**

**Trek: And Elsi doesn't own warriors.**

**Elsi: Nope. It's sad, I know. But still. Oh, and a little announcement is that in this chapter it says that Brackenpaw has amber eyes, while the alleigances say blue. Well, I changed that, so Brackenpaw has amber eyes. Permanently. **

**Trek: Enjoy Chapter 9!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Dark Shadows

Skypaw broke into a trot to catch up with Greypaw, Bluepaw, and Brackenpaw. The wind whistled in her fur, and Skypaw listened to it whisper through the grass they were padding through. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the cool air.

"Skypaw!" Skypaw stopped – just in time, for if she had taken another step, she would have run into a ginger ShadowClan tom. Gasping, she scampered back to her friends.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Bluepaw, trying unsuccessfully to see past the many cats before them. The ShadowClan warrior turned around, his amber eyes gleaming at them.

"There's a narrow ledge up ahead," he told them, his voice deep and steady. "The leaders want to go two at a time." He turned back to his companion, a black she-cat. Skypaw blinked, looking at her friends.

"That doesn't sound good," murmured Greypaw. Bluepaw shook her head, her sapphire eyes wide.

"Do you want to find Icecloud and Lionblaze?" asked Brackenpaw, turning to look at Skypaw.

"I'm not a kit!" hissed Skypaw, puffing out her fur. "I'm going with you guys. Besides, if I left, there would only be three of you. One of you would be going alone. And, I'd be putting -."

"Alright, alright," Brackenpaw replied. "I was just offering."

"And for the record, Skypaw," whispered Bluepaw in her ear, "you _are_ a kit." Skypaw let out a hiss of indignation and turned to claw the she-cat, but Bluepaw's eyes sparkled with teasing. Instead, Skypaw held her head high and slowly followed the trail of cats.

It was a while before she could tell where they were going, but, soon enough, the crowd thinned out enough for Skypaw to see a narrow cliff slanting upwards. A few cats ahead of her, she saw two RiverClan cats start slowly up the ledge. The tom carried a creamy kit in his mouth while the she-cat flanked him. The kit was hissing loudly that he was too old for this. Skypaw's stomach churned. Surely he was older than she was! But she shook this thought from her mind.

"Who's going with who?" questioned Bluepaw. The four exchanged a glance.

"I'll go with Skypaw," suggested Brackenpaw. "I'm the oldest." Greypaw and Bluepaw murmured agreement. Skypaw puffed up as big as she could go.

"Stop treating me like I'm a tiny kit!" she snarled. Greypaw gave her a supportive lick on her ear.

"It's for your safety, Skypaw," he murmured. "You saw that kit." In front of them, the two ShadowClan cats started up, one behind the other. Bramblestar and Onestar stood at the foot of the cliff, guiding the cats upwards. Bramblestar's eyes settled on Skypaw for a moment.

"Brackenpaw, you can go first. Skypaw, follow him very closely," the ThunderClan leader instructed. He indicated to the bottom of the pathway.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Skypaw asked the leaders. Onestar sighed.

"That's what your brother said," he mumbled, so the other three couldn't hear him. Skypaw echoed his sigh.

"Be careful, Skypaw," Brackenpaw warned her. He leaped forward, latching his claws into the slippery surface. "It's hard to hold onto!" Skypaw nodded and cautiously stepped onto the ledge, unsheathing her claws and trying to find a grip. She kept her eyes on Brackenpaw's golden tail, trying to ignore the dark shadows in the drop nearby and the hammering of her heart. At last, she could see the end of the dangerous bridge, and the crowd of cats waiting.

_Skypaw…_ Skypaw gasped, losing her hold on the ledge. Who had said her name? But before she could figure it out, she began sliding backwards. Scrambling to get another grip, she clawed furiously at the cliff. Suddenly, her hind paws weren't on stone, and Skypaw dropped down. She scratched to keep a hold, her eyes wide with fear.

"Brackenpaw!" she screeched. From the top of the ledge, Brackenpaw whirled around. His amber eyes went wide as he saw her dangling there, less than a tail-length from falling to the shadows below.

"Greypaw, no!" cried out a voice that sounded like Bramblestar's. But Skypaw didn't look, because her gaze was locked in Brackenpaw's. She couldn't keep a hold on this rock! Before Brackenpaw could move, however, Skypaw lost her hold completely, and she screamed.

A pair of jaws fastened in her scruff, and Skypaw gasped in relief. Her gaze was still glued to what lay below, where the wind screeched on the rocks, so she couldn't identify her savior. It couldn't be Brackenpaw…could it? Breathing in, Skypaw identified the scent as Greypaw's. Her heart lurched. Greypaw was strong, but could he hold her without losing his own footing?

With astonishing strength, Greypaw hauled Skypaw to safety, where she latched herself into the rock and collapsed, sobbing in her fear. For several moments she sat there, crying in happiness that she was alive. At last, Greypaw gently licked the top of her head.

"Come on," he murmured. "I'm right beside you, this time." Skypaw slowly got to her paws and faced the top of the cliff, getting a firm grip. She pressed into Greypaw, and they made their way up the ledge, where Skypaw breathed out a sigh of relief. At once she was met by Brackenpaw.

"Oh, StarClan!" he gasped, pressing his muzzle to her side. "I should have gotten to you! I'm so sorry, Skypaw, you could have died! It's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault, Brackenpaw," Skypaw meowed, finding her voice now that she was on solid ground again. "If you had tried to come down the ledge, you would have fallen for sure, and then we'd both be dead." The golden tabby lifted his head to look at her.

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "But I still should have kept a better eye on you as we were climbing. If I had, you wouldn't have come close to falling. I just…" He trembled. "It was like I was frozen to the spot. Like I wasn't supposed to move, you know?" Brackenpaw cocked his head. "But why would I feel like that? Did something push you off the cliff or something? Was Greypaw supposed to save you?" Skypaw gazed at him in shock. Was Brackenpaw joking? But the tom's amber eyes shone with truth. Skypaw shivered at the possibility.

Before they could say any more, however, Bluepaw struggled to the top of the ledge alongside a gold and black ShadowClan apprentice. Skypaw raised her eyebrows at how leisurely she was chatting with him. Spotting her friends, Bluepaw led her new companion over to them.

"Are you okay, Skypaw?" asked Bluepaw. Skypaw nodded, her eyes flickering over to the apprentice.

"Who's your friend?" asked Greypaw critically.

"This is Heatpaw of ShadowClan," announced Bluepaw. "He didn't have anyone to go up the cliff with either. Heatpaw, this is Skypaw, Brackenpaw, and my brother, Greypaw."

"It's nice to meet you," meowed Skypaw.

"You, too," responded Heatpaw, dipping his head. "All of you." Beside her, Skypaw could tell that Brackenpaw had stiffened at the sight of Bluepaw and Heatpaw so close together. Seeing this as well, Bluepaw sighed.

"I'll see you later, alright?" she meowed.

"Bye, Bluepaw," said Heatpaw, and he pressed into the crowd of cats. As soon as his black-tipped tail disappeared into the mass of waiting cats, Bluepaw rounded on Brackenpaw.

"Is there a problem, Brackenpaw?" snapped Bluepaw. "I didn't think you'd be so accusatory after nearly letting Skypaw die!" Brackenpaw flinched visibly. Skypaw laid her tail tip on her friend's shoulder.

"We shouldn't be getting to know cats from other Clans," Brackenpaw mewed coolly. Bluepaw bristled.

"You're one to talk!" she spat, her tail standing straight up in the air. "I saw you talking to that RiverClan cat, Splashpaw or whatever her name is. You were just staring at her like a moonstruck rabbit!"

"And I moved on from Splashpaw!" hissed Brackenpaw, looming over the blue-grey she-cat. He relaxed, squaring his shoulders. "I like someone else now." Bluepaw recoiled from him, her blue eyes pricking with pain.

"It still gives you no right to go yelling at me!" she retorted, but her voice had a slight shake to it.

"I'm trying to protect you!" snapped Brackenpaw. "ShadowClan cats are fox-hearted and you know it!"

"Well, in case you didn't notice," snarled Bluepaw, "I don't. Need. Protection!" With that, she spun around and marched off into the crowd. Brackenpaw let out a hiss and stalked off in the opposite direction. Greypaw and Skypaw exchanged a glance.

"Thanks again for saving me, Greypaw," Skypaw mewed. "I would have died." The look in Greypaw's dark blue eyes said everything; it convinced Skypaw to smile. Without a word, both turned and bounded after their friends: Greypaw after Brackenpaw and Skypaw after Bluepaw.

Skypaw found Bluepaw on the very edges of the Clans, pacing back and forth angrily.

"Who needs him, anyways!" the she-cat spat, but there was fresh pain in her voice. "Good for nothing tom! So selfish and bossy and annoying! Why did he have to be so mean about it, anyways! It's not like he cares! Why would he care?" Skypaw cautiously approached the fiery she-cat.

"Bluepaw?"

"WHAT?" Bluepaw spun around, hissing. When she saw who it was, she relaxed. "Oh. It's you." Skypaw sighed in relief, realizing that Bluepaw wasn't going to hurt her. She took a few careful steps forward.

"He's really just saying that because he's worried about you," she started carefully. Bluepaw laughed bitterly.

"Why would he be? He likes another she-cat, remember?" The resentment in Bluepaw's voice took Skypaw by surprise. Was Bluepaw…jealous? "Besides…I don't need to be worried about. I don't want him to protect me. I'm not a kit. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Skypaw responded cautiously, hoping not to set her off again. "But Brackenpaw doesn't quite understand that."

"Exactly!" cried Bluepaw. "He doesn't understand. No one understands."

"So you'll have to _help_ him understand," continued Skypaw as if Bluepaw hadn't spoken. Bluepaw just stared at her for a long, painful moment. "You want him to understand, don't you?" It wasn't a question. After a minute or so, the feisty apprentice turned to face Skypaw fully and nodded, her eyes squeezed shut. Skypaw walked completely up to her until she was sitting beside the she-cat.

"It's not fair," she muttered. "How he can move through she-cats and they all fall for him, while I'm just stuck wanting nothing to do with that sort of thing. But in truth, I _do_ want a part of it."

"Well, you won't get any of that if you yell at Brackenpaw instead of appreciating that he cares about you," pointed out Skypaw calmly. Bluepaw gazed at her, blue eyes twinkling.

"How do you know anything about it?" she snapped. "You're only a kit!" Skypaw flinched, but she knew that Bluepaw was right.

"I don't know," she responded. "It just makes sense." Bluepaw continued to stare at her for a long moment, and then she smiled slightly.

"You're not bad to talk to," commented Bluepaw, and she started back towards the crowd.

"Where are you going?" called Skypaw. Bluepaw laughed.

"To find Brackenpaw and Greypaw, of course!" Skypaw laughed and followed her.

Greypaw found Brackenpaw staring over another cliff, sheathing and unsheathing his claws.

"It's not like I care, anyways," he muttered. "Why does she have to be so dang snappy! I just wanted to help her! Why should I care? I have no reason to!"

"Brackenpaw? Are you alright?" Greypaw asked, cautiously moving forwards. Brackenpaw turned and calmly walked away from the cliff, sitting down once he was near Greypaw.

"I'm fine," he meowed. "I just wish Bluepaw would realize that she _isn't invincible_!" His amber eyes were stretched wide.

"She'll figure it out," Greypaw promised him. "One day, someone will save her from something dangerous, and she'll realize that she can't do everything on her own."

"I don't want to be the cat who rescues her," Brackenpaw purred. He sighed. "That's not really what's bothering me."

"Really?" meowed Greypaw, pricking his ears up. "Then what is?"

"Mouseclaw," admitted Brackenpaw. Greypaw tilted his head in confusion. "He's got Willowpaw on a string, and doesn't know it…I'm worried about her." Realization hit Greypaw like a Twoleg monster.

"Willowpaw!" he gasped. "That's the she-cat you want!" Alarm flashed in Brackenpaw's amber eyes, but then he sighed.

"At first she was just a sweet little kit," he confessed. "Then suddenly she was an apprentice with a peaceful personality and an appreciation for every little thing in life, and I knew that Splashpaw, with her long fur and glowing eyes, was no match for her. So my kithood admiration went out the window to be replaced with…this." Greypaw stood there for a moment.

"Willowpaw," he repeated slowly. "Mouseclaw's apprentice. Skypaw's sister. _Skypaw's sister._"

"But I'm no match for Mouseclaw," Brackenpaw went on. "He's her mentor, so he has every right to be with her as often as he wants, and he cares for her more than anyone else in the world. And she'd die for him, too. I'm just…just her den-mate." The muttered words were like thorns on Brackenpaw's tongue. Greypaw couldn't move. He was in too much shock.

"_Skypaw's. Sister,_" he repeated, not quite grasping the idea. Brackenpaw rolled his eyes.

"I know you fancy her and all, but seriously," he scoffed, "it's not like we're brothers."

"I do not!" hissed Greypaw. "It's just…Skypaw's really protective of her littermates."

"Yeah, uh huh," Brackenpaw scoffed. "Admit it." Greypaw shook his head, his eyes growing wide.

"There you are!" Before either tom could say anything else, Skypaw and Bluepaw pushed their way through the other cats. Bluepaw eyed the gorge.

"Really, Brackenpaw? I should have known you'd be stupid enough to shelter here," she snarled. Skypaw glared at her. "I mean…er…nice…spot." Greypaw raised his eyes, but a look from Skypaw stopped him from blurting out. Instead, he looked past the she-cats to the crowd of cats.

"I think we're moving again," he meowed. "Come on!" And so the four of them scampered off after the Clans.

It was much later that day that the Clans decided to stop and rest. Skypaw sighed in relief as they came to a small ditch in the hard ground.

"Come on," meowed Brackenpaw. "Let's rest while we can."

"While we can?" repeated Skypaw, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"I had to hunt yesterday night," Brackenpaw reminded them. Just then, Brackenfur's voice rang out over the gathering cats.

"Skypaw! Greypaw!" Greypaw groaned.

"Come on," he said, nudging Skypaw to her paws.

"There you are." Brackenfur padded towards them, gazing down at them. "You're both wanted for a hunting patrol."

"Me?" meowed Skypaw. Brackenfur nodded.

"You have keen senses, Skypaw," he pointed out. "We need someone to stand guard, because the mountains are a dangerous place to be." The stern tone in his voice made a shiver run through Skypaw. "And plus, watching good hunters like Doveheart and Greypaw will help you learn." Beside her, Greypaw swelled with pride.

"Okay," she purred. "Bye, Bluepaw, Brackenpaw."

"Oh, and Ivypool's going on a patrol to scout the area," added Brackenfur. "She'll want you, Brackenpaw." Brackenpaw looked up at his namesake and sighed.

"I'm going," he grumbled, pushing past them. Amused, Brackenfur followed him, leaving Greypaw and Skypaw to trail behind. They came to Doveheart, and they set off.

Skypaw kept her eyes on the sky, letting the wind whisper to her. She wouldn't let her patrol go unguarded. Brackenfur and Doveheart were crouched on either sides of the ledge; Greypaw sat next to her.

"I can't wait until we're out of here," muttered Greypaw. Skypaw didn't look at him, but she could feel his gaze on her.

"I don't know," she answered. "The wind is so much nicer up here than it was in the forest." She sighed in contentment as a fresh breeze blew past them, and it seemed to sigh with her.

"You're really special, Skypaw, you know that?" Greypaw said. "You're the only cat I know who would sit for long amounts of time just listening to how the wind blows, or how the water rushes in the river, or how the leaves rustle in the trees." For the first time, Skypaw took her eyes off of the clouds above her head for a moment to stare at him. Greypaw studied his paws. "You don't act like a kit your age would."

"And what do you mean by that?" meowed Skypaw.

"I mean, I have to keep reminding myself that you're only five moons and not older than the rest of us," he continued. "Five moon old kits usually act like life is a game. But you and your littermates…you're different."

"I guess this journey is forcing everyone to mature faster," she pointed out. "The rest of you are acting like warriors already."

"You think so?" mewed Greypaw. Skypaw smiled, turning her eyes back to the sky.

"I know so," she told him, and that was that.

As they walked back, Skypaw heard her stomach growling.

"There's barely enough food for half of us," commented Doveheart, her voice heavy with concern. "How are we to make the journey if we are all going hungry?"

"We did it before," Brackenfur said fiercely, his voice muffled by the eagle he was dragging along. "We can do it again. Skypaw and Greypaw, both carrying two mice, exchanged a worried glance. If the warriors were giving up, how would the rest of them keep up hope?

"Take two of those to the elders," instructed Doveheart. "Share the other two with the other apprentices. You've done well." Nodding in excitement, Skypaw picked up her pace. Greypaw followed with the same eagerness. She purred, hearing Brackenfur's light laugh as they disappeared from sight.

It was Greypaw who caught sight of Dustpelt and Ferncloud sharing tongues. Graystripe, Millie, and Sandstorm sat nearby, talking no doubt about the days of their own apprenticeship.

"Hello, Greypaw. Hello, Skypaw," meowed Millie lightly, looking up. Skypaw and Greypaw muttered a hello, setting the mice down.

"These are for you," said Skypaw, pushing her mice towards them. "Doveheart, Brackenfur, and Greypaw caught them for you."

"It's about time," snapped Sandstorm, pulling a mouse towards her.

"Now, Sandstorm," purred Ferncloud. Skypaw watched the she-cat curiously. How was she an elder when she was younger than Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Thornclaw, who were still happy warriors? Then, she noticed Dustpelt stretching his legs out, grunting because he was stiff, and she understood. Would she give up being a warrior for her mate?

"Thank you, Greypaw and Skypaw," said Graystripe, leaning over to bite into one of the mice. Greypaw dipped his head first to his namesake and then to the others; Skypaw mimicked him. Then the two apprentices backed away slowly, taking the mice with them.

"I wonder where the others are," Greypaw murmured. Skypaw scented the air.

"This way," she meowed, following the scents of Runningpaw and Rustpaw. With Greypaw on her paws, Skypaw weaved between the warriors until she saw all of her friends relaxing in a small circle. Rustpaw and Runningpaw were curled up together, almost asleep. Bouncestep and Dustpaw were lazily sharing tongues, while Mountainpaw, Littlepaw, and Stealthpaw compared their days. Willowpaw and Bluepaw sat there awkwardly, occasionally saying things to each other.

"Hello, everyone!" called Greypaw. Skypaw dropped the two mice as Runningpaw picked up her head, nudging Rustpaw in the process. The rust-colored apprentice sniffed the air.

"I ate earlier, with Dustpaw and Bouncestep," he meowed. "You guys can share those." Purring her thanks, Runningpaw scooted towards where Skypaw had put the mice. The rest of them also turned closer, and they shared the fresh-kill until they were at least slightly satisfied.

"Come for a walk with me," murmured Greypaw. Skypaw looked up and met his blue eyes. She smiled and followed him. They wove back through the warriors and headed back into the forest.

"Did you want to talk to me, Greypaw?" Skypaw asked. She considered reading his mind but shook it away. He would tell her anyways….wouldn't he?

"It's about Willowpaw," Greypaw started slowly. Skypaw tilted her head.

"Willowpaw?" she meowed, confused. A pang hit her. Greypaw didn't like her, did he? Skypaw's heart sped up, but for why she didn't know.

"Brackenpaw told me some things today that I think you should know." Warm relief spread instantly through Skypaw, though she tried to ignore it.

"Like what?" she prompted.

"Well, he said that, and I quote, "Mouseclaw has her on a string and doesn't know it". We're worried he's going to hurt her."

"Mouseclaw wouldn't hurt Willowpaw," Skypaw murmured. "They're too close. He protects her like a second father…like a brother."

"He wouldn't _mean_ to hurt her," said Greypaw. "But he isn't as tied to her as she is to him. He'll find a way to crush her."

"No way," protested Skypaw. Greypaw paused, and he turned to face her.

"I know it'll happen, Skypaw," he whispered, and Skypaw gazed into his blue eyes. "You don't want it to happen, is all." He paused. "I thought I should tell you. You care so much about your littermates."

"I won't let Willowpaw get hurt," breathed Skypaw, standing up tall. "Thank you, Greypaw." They began to walk again.

"And…there's something else that Brackenpaw said…" started Greypaw uncertainly. Skypaw itched to read his thoughts, but she resisted. Suddenly, the large grey apprentice paused, scenting the air.

"What is it?" asked Skypaw.

"Windblow…" muttered Greypaw. "He's with a she-cat." His eyes narrowed to slits. "A _ShadowClan she-cat._" Skypaw gasped. "Come on!" The tom started to run off, leaving Skypaw to follow. He slowed to a trot, and then a walk, and then he was slinking through the dense woods. He held out his silver tail for Skypaw to pause, and she did.

"I don't know if this is going to work," Windblow was saying.

"What do you mean?" snapped a lighter voice. Skypaw pressed herself to the ground and saw the two of them together. Windblow was talking to a beautiful silver she-cat. Before their eyes, she began to slink around him, letting her bushy tail drape around him. "Don't you want this to work?" Windblow's amber eyes glowed.

"Of course I do, Mistpaw…but…" He took a step away from her, and Mistpaw stopped. Windblow shook his head. "My sister just _died._"

"I know," murmured Mistpaw. She walked up to him and pressed against him. "I feel so sorry for you." Her pale green eyes shone with her true compassion, and Skypaw was shocked to see the affection radiating between the two of them. Focusing in on Windblow, Skypaw read his thoughts. She stifled a hiss of fury. Greypaw turned to her, silently asking her what the problem was.

"He's in love with her," Skypaw breathed. She turned her powers on Mistpaw. "And she loves him." She unsheathed her claws and let them scrape against the thin layer of soil. Greypaw's eyes went wide.

"But that's against the warrior code!" he whispered. Skypaw nodded to confirm that she knew. Greypaw shook his head. "We've got to stop this." He tensed to spring out, but Skypaw put her tail out to stop him. Without making a sound, she shook her head.

"He'll figure out on his own that it won't last," she promised. "Come on, Greypaw. Let's get back before they know we're here." Skypaw started back the way she came.

"But…" started Greypaw. He sighed and hurried after her.

For the rest of the march back, the two walked in silence. Greypaw seemed to be reflecting on something, and Skypaw didn't want to interrupt his thoughts.

By the time they got back, the other apprentices had laid out moss bedding for them. Bluepaw was curled up near a piece of empty moss, which Skypaw assumed was Greypaw's spot. The other available spot was next to him; Littlepaw would be on her other side. The two apprentices exchanged a glance and padded over to their nests. Skypaw curled up next to Greypaw.

"Good night, Skypaw," breathed Greypaw, turning to face Bluepaw.

"Good night," she meowed, closing her eyes. His soft pelt pressed against hers, sharing the warmth of his body. Skypaw smiled slightly, stroking the flank of her sleeping brother with her tail. Soon, she was fast asleep.

* * *

**Elsi: Lo and behold how protective Skypaw is of Willowpaw and Littlepaw. Mountainpaw can take care of himself, and Skypaw doesn't get the chance to protect Birdpaw. I think that trait will play an important part in the story.**

**Trek: I'm proud of you for letting Brackenpaw, Bluepaw, and Greypaw have some character. **

**Elsi: I'm proud of myself, too. So right now we have Brackenpaw who likes Willowpaw, Bluepaw who likes Brackenpaw, and Windblow who's been meeting with Mistpaw of ShadowClan. OOOH. And what's up with Heatpaw?**

**Trek: If you review and tell Elsi all of that, she'll reply (and thank you in the next chapter). Yeah.**

**Elsi: Next chatper is Birdpaw's...**


	12. Chapter 10: Toasty Warm

**Elsi: Elsi here, with a grand new chapter of Elemental! Hoorah!**

**Trek: Hoorah!**

**Elsi: HOORAH! Anyways, this chapter is deep. Like...really deep. It's a Jay truth-or-truth fest. I'm sure you'll figure out what I mean by that. :)**

**Trek: Which Jay do you mean, Elsi?**

**Elsi: ...**

**Trek: Oh. Okay, then.  
**

* * *

Chapter 10: Toasty Warm

Birdpaw sighed. And not just one of those half-sighs that no one pays any attention to – this was a big, long sigh that expressed everything that Birdpaw was feeling.

"What's wrong?" Jaypaw asked. Birdpaw glanced up at her new friend.

"I'm just a little…sad…for some reason," she replied. Jaypaw shook her head.

"I'd think becoming an apprentice earlier than you're supposed to would keep you happy for a long time," she meowed quietly, so as not to be overheard. Birdpaw looked at her in shock. Jaypaw rolled her eyes.

"We talked a few days before the journey, remember?" Jaypaw continued. "You were Bird_kit_ then. And plus, Jayfeather called a meeting last night to tell us."

"Really?" Birdpaw asked, her eyes stretching wide.

"He said that it was best that we all knew," Jaypaw said with a shrug. "Don't worry," she added. "I was made an apprentice early, too."

"You were?" gasped Birdpaw.

"It wasn't _that_ much earlier," Jaypaw told her quickly. "I was five and a half moons, and I had been trailing Kestrelflight for a while. When the threat of the foxes came up, Onestar decided that my brother and I should star training – immediately.

"You have a brother?" Birdpaw mewed. Jaypaw nodded.

"His name is Hailpaw, and he couldn't look less like me. He's bigger than the average WindClan apprentice, with a black pelt and amber eyes. My mother, Sunstrike, says he looks like his father." Her eyes clouded, and curiosity pricked at Birdpaw's paws.

"Your father?" she questioned.

"He died in the battle, the one that not even the elders mention much. You know…the one between StarClan and the Dark Forest." Birdpaw had heard the tale, but she didn't know any of the details at all. The only thing she had heard of was that Lionblaze was a big part in it, and he didn't like to talk about it. He claimed that it gave him bad memories.

"I'm sorry," murmured Birdpaw, placing her tail tip on Jaypaw's shoulder.

"I'm not," spat Jaypaw, taking Birdpaw by surprise. "My mother loved him more than anything in the world, but…" She paused. "He's not someone to be proud of."

"What?" meowed Birdpaw, now even more surprised.

"I can tell that Kestrelflight is surprised the two of us get along so well," continued Jaypaw as if Birdpaw hadn't spoken. "Hailpaw keeps calling me a traitor for being your friend."

"But why?" meowed Birdpaw.

"Because my father wasn't killed on accident," murmured Jaypaw. "He was killed by his own brother…well, half-brother, really. No one expected him to kill anyone, really. But he played a big part in the battle, and he helped the Clans to win."

"Who?" whispered Birdpaw. Jaypaw fixed her with a hard green gaze.

"The cat my mother named me after," she replied. "Jayfeather." Birdpaw's blood turned to ice.

"Jayfeather?" she echoed, her voice barely coming out as a whisper.

"I'm glad he did it," she added. "My father was nearly dead already. Not in the physical sense…but mentally. He was warped with hatred…hatred for his father, hatred for WindClan, hatred for Jayfeather and Lionblaze…he even hated himself.

"My mother offered him the only comfort he could find, because she saw the cat he used to be, not the cat everyone else saw. She said that he used to cry out to her at night, and tell her that he wanted to die…that he needed to die. He had been trained by the Dark Forest to destroy everyone he hated, and sometimes, he realized that he didn't want to hurt her at all, and that destroying WindClan would destroy her.

"She was in the nursery, pregnant, when he suddenly disappeared. The battle followed, and Sunstrike prayed that he would redeem himself and join the Clans. It went on, and for two days, she was restless. The third day, Hailpaw and I were born. She begged that he would come back and see his kits; she refused to let anyone else see us except for Kestrelflight and the other queens, saying that our father should see us before the rest of the Clan. She let Onestar in at one point, but that was it.

"Another few days passed, and she could hear the Clan coming home. Jayfeather came to her as well, telling her what had happened to my father. Sunstrike was upset…but she knew that he was finally free. With Jayfeather, Onestar, and Kestrelflight there, she named us: Hailkit for how hard the grief was, and Jaykit for the cat who had saved him from his misery." As Jaypaw finished her story, Birdpaw remained silent, processing everything she had just heard. And then, a thought hit her.

"Your father was Breezepelt, wasn't he?" asked Birdpaw. Jaypaw nodded slowly. Birdpaw had heard stories of Breezepelt from her father: stories that involved kit-stealing (an incident in which Breezepelt and followers had stolen Hazeltail's kits from the nursery), attempted murder (in which Breezepelt had tried to murder Lionblaze while he was hunting), and some things that Lionblaze would veer of topic of as soon as he mentioned it.

"I know what you're thinking," said Jaypaw. "As I said, he wasn't someone to be proud of." Suddenly, the red she-cat went stiff and froze. Birdpaw followed her gaze and gasped.

Facing Bramblestar and Onestar (Blackstar and Mistystar were at the end of the party) were five cats: three she-cats and two toms. The one in the lead – a dark grey tom with amber eyes – stepped forward.

"Brambleclaw?" he murmured in disbelief. "Onestar? What are you doing here?" His voice was edged with delight.

"Hello, Stormfur," purred Bramblestar. Birdpaw tilted her head. He wasn't a Clan cat…was he? Stormfur let out a purr and went to touch noses with the ThunderClan leader.

"Brambleclaw!" the meow was echoed throughout the cats. A black she-cat stepped up beside Stormfur, flanked by a grey and white she-cat, and a light brown tabby she-cat. The last cat in the party, a small sandy tom, was the only one that hadn't spoken.

"Night," Bramblestar acknowledged, "Wing. And you are…"

"Splash," the she-cat meowed. "I was a to-be when you were last here." Splash turned to indicate the small cat. "Sand, won't you greet our visitors?"

"Hello," muttered Sand, curiosity in his blue eyes.

"If we're done with formalities," started Onestar bluntly. "We have to keep moving."

"Where are you going?" Night – the black she-cat – asked. "And why have you come with so many cats?"

"You aren't leaving the new territories, are you?" Stormfur asked, shock in his eyes.

"We must," answered Bramblestar gravely.

"You all look starving!" mewed Wing in concern, looking behind the two leaders at the ranks of warriors who stood waiting. "You must come back to the cave with us."

"What seems to be the problem?" Mistystar and Blackstar had returned, pushing their way through the medicine cats. Birdpaw glanced up at Mistystar to see her pause nearby.

"Stormfur?" she meowed.

"Mistyfoot," answered Stormfur.

"It's Mistystar now," Mistystar told him. "Leopardstar went to StarClan shortly before Firestar did."

"Firestar!" gasped Stormfur. He turned to Bramblestar. "So you must be Bramblestar now." Bramblestar nodded again. "I am sorry to hear about them both." He paused. "Are the others with you?"

"They're here," he replied.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Blackstar started. "But could we continue along? We need to find a place to shelter by sun-down."

"You will come with us," insisted Night. "We should be able to spare food for you."

"Oh, no," said Mistystar, shaking her head. "It is generous of you, but we don't want to take your food."

"You won't be," Wing said. "There is plenty of prey for the Tribe." She paused. "Stoneteller will be glad to know you are here." The four leaders exchanged glances.

"Tribe?" whispered Jaypaw to Birdpaw. "Who are these cats?"

"My father told me about them," answered Birdpaw. "They live in the mountains, and they're friends of the Clans." She paused. "Breezepelt came here once." Jaypaw stared at her in shock, her green eyes wide. "They drove out some rogues."

"I believe we must take their offer." Willowshine had stepped forward, glancing between her leader and the other three.

"I agree," said Kestrelflight. Jaypaw glanced at her mentor, but nodded vigorously. Birdpaw looked up at Jayfeather, who now stood on her other side.

"You seem nervous," she observed. Jayfeather turned his sightless eyes on her.

"This journey makes me nervous," he replied simply. Birdpaw nodded in agreement, a shiver running up her spine.

Birdpaw blinked awake from her sleep. Jaypaw slept next to her, her breathing even. Slowly, Birdpaw stood up and stretched, looking around her. Kestrelflight was next to his apprentice; Flametail and Bearpaw were stretched out around them. Willowshine and Jayfeather were absent. Scenting the air, Birdpaw followed their scents to right outside the waterfall. On silent paws, she slipped past the protective water shield and caught sight of them, sitting and watching the sunrise.

"You've met Minnowtail's kit, Rushkit, haven't you?" This was Willowshine, her voice light and gentle.

"Rushkit? Is that his name?" That was Jayfeather. Surprisingly, Jayfeather sounded very calm. "Yes, I've seen him before. Why do you ask?"

"Well, the rest of you have apprentices," commented Willowshine. "Bearpaw's going to get his full name as soon as we find a place that StarClan speak to us at. Flametail's mentioned it before. And Jaypaw and Birdpaw help out a lot, I'm sure."

"So you're going to take Rushkit as your apprentice?"

"I'm thinking about it," sighed Willowshine. "He's a clever and strong kit, but he doesn't have much skill when it comes to warrior skills. When the apprentices offer to teach him a battle move, he just says that he wasn't really interested in learning about battle and such things."

"Has he been helping you out a lot?" questioned Jayfeather.

"He's only been in the medicine den a few times," admitted Willowshine. "But the times he's been in there, he's started asking me questions about StarClan, and herbs, and what it's like to be a medicine cat. I think he wants to be a medicine cat, but doesn't know how to say it."

"Birdpaw told me about her dreams to be a medicine cat the day before she became an apprentice," pointed out Jayfeather. "I was going to choose her sister."

"And you took Birdpaw on instead?"

"Skypaw wanted to be a warrior, and Birdpaw wanted to be a medicine cat."

"But you hadn't even considered her!"

"I had noticed that she didn't play with her littermates as much, and that she seems to have a memory for herbs," Jayfeather told her. He chuckled. "She came over to help one day, after our first encounter with the foxes, and she asked if he needed her to fetch thyme for the cats on the patrol to calm them down. I realized that she had heard me saying it when Kestrelflight came to ask if I had any."

"They're alike then," mewed Willowshine. "And…is Birdpaw a good apprentice?"

"I haven't had much time to teach her anything, but she seems to know everything," meowed Jayfeather. He paused. "Willowshine?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if I should be telling you this, but…they're special. You know, and I know, that it was Mountainpaw that found that path. And Skypaw had that vision. They don't act like normal kits…because they're not."

"You sound so sure of it."

"I am." And that was all he said. The two sat in silence for a long moment, until Jayfeather sighed and flicked his tail.

"Birdpaw, I know you're there." Birdpaw winced as Willowshine and Jayfeather turned around. He flicked his tail, indicating to her to come closer. Hanging her head, she padded up to her mentor.

"I was wondering where you were," she meowed, daring a glance up at the two medicine cats. Jayfeather did not answer this statement.

"Tell me what's on your mind," he demanded. Birdpaw blinked, but realized that she had been burning to ask him about Breezepelt. She glanced up at Willowshine in concern. Willowshine, seeing this, calmly stood and padded off.

"I'm going to see if anyone else is up," she meowed before disappearing from sight.

"Why is Jaypaw named after you?" Birdpaw started, knowing the answer. Jayfeather didn't answer for a moment.

"I saved her father," he replied quietly, evidently lost in his own memories.

"By killing him?" There was an odd silence. Jayfeather was bristling.

"Let me make this clear to you, Birdpaw," he snarled. "Breezepelt didn't deserve to live, didn't want to live, and brought pain on others while he lived!" The medicine cat's sudden fury made Birdpaw cringe.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," she said coolly, trying not to seem afraid of his sudden rage. "But you asked." Jayfeather gave a hiss and turned away from her. Birdpaw shifted uncomfortably as she watched him. Should she leave? Just as she was about to turn away, Jayfeather gave a long sigh.

"She can't believe I did it," he meowed quietly. Birdpaw turned back, tilting her head slightly. "I mean, how could a _blind_ medicine cat fight in a great battle?" He gave a shaky breath, and shock coursed through Birdpaw as she realized that he was holding back tears. "No, she knows it's not that. She doesn't care about that. She just can't understand that I killed someone. I didn't want to do it, really. I didn't want to kill anyone, much less Breezepelt. We hated each other, sure…but I never wanted him dead. But I did it, and now I'm not the cranky medicine cat with a soft spot to her. She doesn't know me anymore."

"Willowshine?" whispered Birdpaw, confused.

"Willowshine!" hissed Jayfeather. "No, she knows. She knows that I had to do it. But I would rather her hate me, like she used to. Sure, we still take jabs at each other, but…it's not the same. I trust her. She trusts me. That's it."

"Then who…?"

"But at least she understands. I can't go a day without…without…_her_ watching me. I thought we could work, and I thought that she'd understand me because I understood her, all those moons ago. And then…she fell for Lionblaze."

"Icecloud!" gasped Birdpaw.

"Of course," continued Jayfeater as if she hadn't spoken at all, "he broke her heart when he took Icecloud for a mate instead of her. But I was there. I was there, and she didn't realize it. We were just starting to get close again when…when she watched me kill Breezepelt. For moons she thought me a monster, but then…I went to her and told her what really happened…and she told me that it was good that I killed him. Since then…she's grown to me, but there's always going to be that barrier between us. She thought she knew who I am…but still she isn't sure. Still she doesn't know. Still…I feel that it can't work out, even though I want it to. I don't want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her." There was silence as Jayfeather hunched over, looking at his paws. Birdpaw watched him in shock until she found herself. Then, slowly, she edged away from him and went inside.

The first thing she saw was Cinderheart.

"Have you seen Jayfeather?" she meowed curtly. "I wanted to talk to him." Birdpaw, shocked by how frustrated the she-cat seemed, indicated with her tail to where her mentor was. Cinderheart dipped her head and stalked past her.

Struck by a burning curiosity, Birdpaw slipped out after Cinderheart, slipping behind the concealment of some wet rocks.

"Jayfeather!" Cinderheart called. Jayfeather turned in surprise as the she-cat stalked up to him. Birdpaw peered out above the rocks to see them begin to argue. She couldn't hear their dialogue over the pounding of the waterfall, but she could make out a few words… "waited…sorry…your fault…wrong…" Risking her chances of being detected like she was earlier, Birdpaw crept to the side of the rocks to get a closer look.

"I'm frustrated, Jayfeather!" hissed Cinderheart.

"With what?" snapped Jayfeather. Cinderheart's blue gaze burned.

"With you! With this! With everything!"

"I don't know what you want! I'm sorry for causing your problems, Cinderheart, but you're wrong. I know how you feel." Struck by this, Cinderheart let out a choked sob.

"And how is that?" she murmured.

"You're still in love with Lionblaze!" A tremble went up Birdpaw's spine. Was _Cinderheart_ the cat Jayfeather had been talking about? "You're confused, and angry, and frustrated! You feel alone, you don't know who to trust, and you just want me to sympathize with you!"

"And why won't you?" cried Cinderheart. "You've understood before."

"Well now I don't want to." Jayfeather bounded off the rocks and stalked away. Cinderheart stared after him, her blue eyes filled with regret.

"You're wrong," she whispered, but Jayfeather couldn't hear. Birdpaw sank down to the ground, alarmed with what she had just found out. What in the world could Cinderheart mean by Jayfeather 'understanding before'? Why didn't Jayfeather want to help her when he had just sworn not to hurt her? Why was he so affected by her loving Lionblaze…was it to protect Birdpaw? When had Jayfeather _ever_ broken his prickly shield while talking to her, and why was it completely gone when he was talking to Willowshine? Birdpaw closed her eyes, thinking back to what Jayfeather had said before, when he seemed to be talking to himself. _Not the cranky medicine cat with a soft spot for her…she doesn't know who I am anymore…she can't believe I did it…of course, he broke her heart…I was there, and she didn't know it…I feel like it won't work out between us…I never want to hurt her._

A shudder went through Birdpaw as she realized what all of it meat. Things were happening in the Clan that no one knew about. While some cats cuddled up with their mates at night, purring with joy of feeling toasty warm, there would always be another who watched forlornly, wishing it were they who was purring with the cat they loved. Birdpaw sighed in relief. At least she never had to go through that.

* * *

**Elsi: BREEZEPELT RETURNS!**

**Trek: You almost make him sound like a good guy.**

**Elsi: What can I say? I sympathize with him more than I did. Hey, do you know what I found out? Sunstrike isn't even in the character list! Isn't that depressing?**

**Trek: I thought you just randomly picked Sunstrike to be their mother.**

**Elsi: Yeah, but after I wrote it, I developed a soft spot for random WindClan she-cats like Sunstrike. So there.**

**Trek: I think you should write a Breezepelt/Sunstrike one-shot based off of this story.**

**Elsi: I'll have to finish this first. Breezepelt gives Jayfeather a new conflict I need to settle with. :)**

**Trek: Cool.**

**Elsi: So, anyways, read and review! And I think I'm putting a poll up soon on minor-that-could-be-major characters. But that doesn't mean you have to stop reviewing!  
**


	13. Chapter 11: A Replacement

**Elsi: Look! I was going to post chapter 12 when I realize - wait a second...where's chapter eleven? And then I'm like OH! It didn't make it! I forgot to post it before leaving on my week-long trip So, here.**

**Trek: This chapter is really important, right?**

**Elsi: Yup. It has a ton of basis for later chapters. It's a Willowpaw chapter. And thanks to Echo Nightingale-Phantom and Ein Storm for the fantastical reviews! Pweeeeeeeeeeease keep it up!**

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Chapter 11: A Replacement

"Willowpaw." Deep in a dream of stalking a mouse, Willowpaw barely heard her name called. "Willowpaw!" She slowly cracked open an eye to see Mouseclaw standing over her.

"Go away, I'm tired," she meowed, not caring how disrespectful she was being. Mouseclaw didn't seem to mind either.

"Come on," he urged, prodding her with unsheathed claws. Willowpaw winced away.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," she agreed. Careful not to disturb any of the sleeping apprentices around her, she stood up and stretched, padding after Mouseclaw.

He kept up a fast pace, one that Willowpaw didn't really want to keep up. She could hear the sounds of the waterfall pounding into the pool below; she could see only the blur of grey that were the cave walls.

"Where are we going?" asked Willowpaw impatiently, stumbling as she tried to pick up her pace. Mouseclaw flicked his tail.

"Just outside the waterfall," he promised. Willowpaw sighed. As he slipped out of the waterfall, she followed. And it was there that she stopped, her eyes wide with shock. Amazed and overjoyed, she bounded down to where Mouseclaw was waiting, a smile on his face.

"What do you think?" he asked her. Willowpaw just stared.

"What is it?" she gasped, looking up. From the sky, tiny pieces of white powder tumbled onto the ground, creating a soft blanket of white mush. She let out a purr as bits of it clung to her fur. The cold was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt before.

"It's snow," answered Mouseclaw. "Was this worth getting up?"

"Are you kidding me?" squealed Willowpaw. "This was so worth it!" The young warrior laughed. Willowpaw pounced forward, falling into a deep pile of snow and letting it cool her fur. She purred in satisfaction, feeling more alert than she ever had. Peeking out at Mouseclaw, she asked, "How does it work?"

"I don't really know," Mouseclaw told her, curling his tail around his paws. "It only comes when it's really cold out, but I don't know why." Willowpaw batted flakes of it with her forepaws, diving to reach one before it hit the ground. Her mentor let out a mew of amusement.

"What?" meowed Willowpaw.

"You're covered in it," purred Mouseclaw, a twinkle in his eye. Willowpaw smirked and kicked a pile up at him, but he nimbly dodged, so only a few flakes of snow caught on his brown and black pelt. As he regained his balance, Willowpaw tackled him, knocking him to the ground, and into the cold snow.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!" cried Mouseclaw, pushing her off. Willowpaw squeaked and ran, but Mouseclaw was quicker, taking her by her scruff and tossing her lightly into a huge pile of the stuff. She poked her head out, making him laugh again by how much snow was on her pelt.

"I'm going to get you, Mouseclaw!" she teased, jumping out. Her mentor laughed and darted away, causing Willowpaw to give chase. It was hard for her to keep up because of her shorter legs, but the cool air seemed to pull Willowpaw along, keeping her energized and fresh. At last Willowpaw caught up to him and pushed him down, forcing him into the snow. The two tussled for a while, leaping and playing in the fresh snow.

It was almost sunhigh when Mouseclaw collapsed into the snow, laughing. Willowpaw did the same, catching her breath. She looked up at the pale blue sky above them, feeling happier than she had in a long time.

"I love it out here!" she breathed, sighing in contentment yet again.

"I th-thought you w-w-would," stammered Mouseclaw. Alarm pricked at Willowpaw and she turned, confused to see that her mentor was trembling slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"It's so c-c-cold out h-here," meowed Mouseclaw. Willowpaw was taken back.

"It's…affecting you?"

"Well, yeah…you aren't bothered by it?"

"No." Willowpaw thought to herself for a moment. It was her power, she realized with excitement, to not feel the cold. A brief thought flickered in her mind: was it energizing her, too? But she shook this away, and turned to Mouseclaw. She couldn't' tell him…

"Well," she added. "I guess I am a little cold." Mouseclaw leaned over and licked her head slowly, dislodging the melted snow and warming her up. She resisted a shiver and smiled.

"You were sc-scaring me there for a moment," he murmured. Willowpaw purred and pressed into him.

"You're my best friend, Mouseclaw," she told him softly. "All the other warriors are firm and serious…but you're so much _fun._ I'm so glad you're my mentor." The older cat chuckled to himself quietly.

"I'm glad I'm your mentor, too," he assured her. "I don't think I could ask for a better apprentice." Willowpaw put her head on her paws and sighed, feeling the cold breeze wash over her and Mouseclaw's warm body beside her. Suddenly, he gasped, standing up. Willowpaw looked up to see him staring up at the sun in shock.

"What?" she meowed.

"I've got to go," he gasped quickly. "Sorry, Willowpaw."

"Where are you going?" Willowpaw called as he started back towards the waterfall cave.

"I've got to go meet Swallowleaf!" cried Mouseclaw over his shoulder.

"What?" exclaimed Willowpaw, standing up.

"Sorry!" yowled Mouseclaw. "I've got to go!" He hurried back into the cave, his next words drowned out by the roar of the waterfall. Willowpaw sat down, confused. She glanced down at her white paws against the white of the snow. Frustrated and put out, she kicked a pile of it away, so her paws scraped against the tough rock. Sighing once more, she got up and bounded back inside to find her friends.

Bluepaw, Rustpaw, Stealthpaw, Runningpaw, Brackenpaw, Mountainpaw, and Littlepaw were all relaxing with each other, idly sharing gossip. Seeing her approaching, Brackenpaw flicked his tail at her in greeting. Finding a smile, Willowpaw took a seat between him and Runningpaw.

"Hi, Willowpaw," Mountainpaw greeted her. "What's all over your pelt?"

"Snow," announced Willowpaw proudly. "Mouseclaw took me out this morning."

"You must be freezing," Brackenpaw sympathized, licking her head. Willowpaw felt a pang of sorrow. Mouseclaw had done that, earlier, before he had left her.

"Where is Mouseclaw, then?" Rustpaw asked curiously.

"He…ran off…" trailed Willowpaw sadly. "Said he had to meet Swallowleaf."

"Swallowleaf?" echoed Bluepaw. "Isn't she from RiverClan?"

"I've seen her before," Stealthpaw added. "Brown and cream fur, kind of fragile-looking, right?" Willowpaw nodded. "She was a new warrior at my first Gathering, a moon after Mouseclaw got his warrior name. Yeah, she was talking to him and Cherrymist, and some other warriors."

"Why would he have to go meet her?" Littlepaw asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"He wouldn't be…with her…would he?" Bluepaw meowed quietly. Willowpaw bristled. Her instructor was a loyal warrior of ThunderClan! He wouldn't break the warrior code for anything!

"They might just be friends on the journey," rationalized Runningpaw, sensing Willowpaw's discomfort. "Everyone's making them."

"Don't be upset, Willowpaw," murmured Brackenpaw as Runningpaw explained her theory to the others. "We're all here for you." Willowpaw blinked gratefully at him.

"Speaking of friends on the journey," Bluepaw said suddenly, sounding in a sudden bad mood. "I'm going to go find Heatpaw. He said that since he met you guys I have to meet his friends."

"I'd like to meet Heatpaw," Runningpaw replied, standing. "Coming, Rustpaw?"

"Sure," replied Rustpaw. "Mind if we tag along?" Smiling slightly, Bluepaw led them off without a backwards glance.

"Heatpaw?" questioned Mountainpaw, raising his eyebrows.

"Bluepaw made a friend earlier on, when we had to cross that ledge, remember that? They had to go together, and they became friends kind of quickly," Brackenpaw explained. Willowpaw looked up at him.

"They sound a little more than friends, if you ask me," she meowed.

"That's what I said," murmured Brackenpaw. Stealthpaw, Littlepaw, and Mountainpaw were smart enough to immediately start a conversation about the mountains. Willowpaw met Brackenpaw's eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, sensing that something had happened during that encounter.

"I don't think we should be making good friends with cats of the other Clans," he started carefully. "I mean, it's one thing on the journey, but once we get home…" He shook his head. "So I told Bluepaw that…and she over-reacted."

"Oh?" Willowpaw said quietly, urging him to go on.

"Well, we both over-reacted, I suppose," Brackenpaw continued. "It took Greypaw and Skypaw to calm us down, but it worked. But for some reason, Bluepaw keeps bringing him up around me…it's like she wants it to get on my nerves." Willowpaw nudged her friend gently.

"She'll stop if you don't react," she assured him. "That's what my mother used to say when Mountainpaw used to pick on me…back before the battle." They sat in silence for a moment as Brackenpaw nodded.

"Where are Dustpaw and Bouncestep?" asked Willowpaw lightly, wanting to change the subject. "And Greypaw and Skypaw?"

"Greypaw and Skypaw got drafted into hunting with Lionblaze, Doveheart, and three Tribe cats," Brackenpaw told her. "I think Bouncestep took a walk with one of the Tribe cats…Dustpaw must have tagged along."

"No, there they are," Willowpaw meowed, as Bouncestep and Dustpaw walked in the entrance with a white and grey she-cat. "Bouncestep! Dustpaw!" Dustpaw noticed them and flicked his tail; his brown eyes were clouded with concern.

"What's wrong?" Brackenpaw meowed. Willowpaw shook her head.

"Come on, let's go see." The two cats stood up and trotted over to where Bouncestep had just collapsed onto the ground, her blue-violet eyes wide with shock. Dustpaw sat next to her, stroking her flank sadly.

"What's wrong?" Willowpaw asked. If Bouncestep even realized their presence, she didn't say anything. Dustpaw just shook his head. Willowpaw opened her mouth, but Brackenpaw nudged her away.

"Come on," he urged. "We'll talk to them later." Just then, a flash of movement caught Willowpaw's eye. Mouseclaw!

She gasped and galloped over to where her mentor was carrying a mouse in his jaws. Swallowleaf also had one; the two cats were trotting in with a patrol of a few other cats. The she-cat and the tom were laughing, muffled by their prey.

"Where were you?" demanded Willowpaw, skidding to a stop at their paws. Swallowleaf put her prey down.

"Hello, Willowpaw," she greeted her quietly. "Sorry I took Mouseclaw from you this morning. You see, last night, we begged some of the Tribe cats to show us their way of hunting. He couldn't miss it."

"Sorry about that, Willowpaw," Mouseclaw added. He turned to Swallowleaf. "Want to share this? I think it'll be alright if we do."

"Sure," purred Swallowleaf. "What should we do with the other one?" Mouseclaw stared at the second mouse. Willowpaw shifted on her paws. Would she get the mouse, as an apology?

"Willowpaw," started Mouseclaw, "can you take that to Blossomfall? I'm sure she'll appreciate it." With that, he and Swallowleaf started to walk off, leaving Willowpaw there in shock.

"What?" she whispered. The mouse sat limply at her paws. Shocked and stung, Willowpaw picked up the mouse and began to pad off towards where she knew the queens were.

Blossomfall was sharing tongues with a grey ShadowClan queen when Willowpaw walked in.

"They're going to make fine warriors someday," Blossomfall was saying. The ShadowClan she-cat purred gratefully.

"Blossomfall, I brought this for you," Willowpaw meowed, making herself known. Two kits, not much younger than she was, bounded up to her.

"Who are you?" asked the bigger one, a dark grey tom.

"My name is Willowpaw," replied Willowpaw, amused. "I'm from ThunderClan."

"So that's why you smell so yucky!" meowed the smaller one, a brown tabby.

"Marshkit, Stickkit, let the nice apprentice in," meowed the ShadowClan queen.

"Yes, Shrewfoot," murmured the two toms in unison, scampering out of Willowpaw's way. Willowpaw's whiskers quivered slightly; in spite of the frustration welling up inside her, she loved kits. She padded forward, setting the prey in front of the young queens.

"Thank you, Willowpaw," meowed Blossomfall sweetly. She turned to the back of the den, where Willowpaw could just make out the form of a dark tabby she-cat with three small kits. "Brook, would you like any?" _Brook._ Willowpaw recognized the name from a story Graystripe had told her: Brook had once been a ThunderClan warrior. Willowpaw dipped her head and padded away.

She almost ran into a dark grey she-cat.

"Sorry!" Willowpaw squeaked, dipping her head in apology. The she-cat, who had the scent of RiverClan on her, let out a purr.

"That's perfectly alright," she meowed. "Come on, Rushkit."

"I don't belong in the nursery," mumbled the creamy kit behind him, shooting a glance at Willowpaw as he started to follow his mother in. "_She's_ an apprentice, and I'm just as big as her."

"Rushkit!" A shiver ran up Willowpaw's spine at how accurate his statement was. Another queen padded past Willowpaw, along with two kits. The third kit, a reddish she-cat, paused beside Willowpaw.

"Hi!" she mewed. "I'm Ivykit! What's your name?" Willowpaw smiled at Ivykit's energy to see that the she-cat was only around half a moon younger than her. At least kits could cheer her up, even if she did feel slightly put out at Mouseclaw's sudden disinterest in her.

"I'm Willowpaw of ThunderClan," replied Willowpaw.

"Willowpaw?" repeated Ivykit. "You must be Littlepaw's sister!" Her eyes lit up with pleasure.

"You know my brother?" meowed Willowpaw, surprised.

"Yeah, my mom helped him out recently," Ivykit told her. She grinned. "Tell him hi for me, will you? And that he can play with us whenever he wants!" Willowpaw laughed.

"I'll tell him," she promised. "Goodbye, Ivykit."

"Bye, Willowpaw!" called Ivykit. Willowpaw padded off.

She looked around for her instructor - to see that Swallowleaf and Mouseclaw were now lazily sharing tongues. Pain hit Willowpaw in the chest, and she let out a quiet choked sob. What happened to the "you're my best friend, Willowpaw," of the morning? Willowpaw walked back to where the ThunderClan apprentices were sitting, sat down, and hung her head. He had all but forgotten her. Swallowleaf was her replacement. Swallowing her tears back, Willowpaw didn't notice the approaching cat until she could see her grey mottled paws beside her.

"Are you alright, Willowpaw?" It was Skypaw. Willowpaw looked up and nodded quickly.

"I just feel like I'm less important to Mouseclaw than I used to," she meowed, which was only half a lie. Alarm sparked in Skypaw's blue eyes, and she gasped.

"No!" she cried. At Willowpaw's surprised look, she went on calmly, "No, Willowpaw, you're still very important to him. He can have other friends, can't he?" Willowpaw gazed at her for a moment, then over at Mouseclaw and Swallowleaf. Realizing that her sister was right, she smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed. "Thanks, Skypaw."

"Willowpaw! Willowpaw, you won't believe it!" Brackenpaw, his amber eyes wide with shock, came galloping up to them. Willowpaw and Skypaw both turned to face him; Willowpaw wondered what in the name of StarClan could be the problem.

"What?" meowed Skypaw and Willowpaw in unison.

"You know how Bouncestep wasn't born in ThunderClan, right?" meowed Brackenpaw, and Willowpaw nodded, desperate to know what was wrong. "Well, Wing, the she-cat they were with, just finished talking to her about it. And you'll never believe what she said."

"What?" cried Willowpaw.

"Wing is Bouncestep's _mother._ She was born here, in the Tribe of Rushing Water."

**

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**

**Elsi: BUM. BUM. BUM.**

**Trek: Oh, I get to do the questions? Okay. Um...what will Bouncestep do? Will she stay with the Clan? Or will she go back to where she was born? And what will happen to Willowpaw and Mouseclaw?**

**Elsi: Yeah, if you think Willowpaw is needy and vulnerable now, just you wait. MWA HA HA.**

**Trek: Oh, no. So, before Elsi gives anything else away, I'd like to calmly ask you to review. Everyone who's reviewed so far seems to love it, and that gives Elsi a lot of self-confidence with what she's writing. So thanks!**

**Elsi: Other announcements: if I do rename Windblow (which I am considering doing), what should his name be? I've considered several possibilites. Tell me (review or PM me) which of these you like. If you have another suggestion, say so!**

**1) Windwhisper**

**2) Windfeather**

**3) Windstream**

**4) Windstorm **

**Those are in the order I like them, because of how they fit the character. Tell me what you think.**

**Trek: Look out for the next chapter on the next page... And please take a look at the poll on Elsi's profile page!**


	14. Chapter 12: A Close Call

**Elsi: So...uh...hi. If you read my profile page in the past...**checks watch** day or so, you'll know that I promised this yesterday at like...noon. Well...I lied. **

**Trek: So, anyways, this is Chapter 12. Scary isn't it?**

**Elsi: But hey, we're more than halfway done! Not that we weren't more than halfway done last chapter. See, according to my little chapter outline thing, there will be 21 chapters of Book One. That's not bad, huh?**

**Trek: Moving on. This is Chapter 12. It's a Mountainpaw chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 12: A Close Call

Bouncestep spoke to no one over the next few days except for Dustpaw. Mountainpaw, Stealthpaw, and Littlepaw would watch with sad eyes as he coaxed the white she-cat to eat something, or tell him what she was thinking. Every time, after a biting remark, he would pad away with his head hung.

"Any news?" Stealthpaw would say.

"She's lost," Dustpaw would whisper.

"Lost?" Littlepaw would ask.

"Caught in between her choices," Dustpaw would answer. And then Mountainpaw would sigh and watch him go, shaking his head sadly. Three times a day this would happen, and three times a day it would all remain the same

"Maybe today will be the day," suggested Littlepaw optimistically as they took their normal places to watch Dustpaw and Bouncestep's exchange. Just like normal.

"Who knows," Mountainpaw murmured, as usual. It was the fifth day of this little routine, and he wasn't feeling very positive about the outcome. Dustpaw was carrying a small mouse towards Bouncestep in hopes of sharing with her. The she-cat was staring at the ground, her shoulders hunched over. Very cautiously, Dustpaw sat next to her, greeting her softly. Mountainpaw could see him meowing quietly to her, and he sighed, because Bouncestep wasn't replying – as usual.

But then, something unexpected happened. Bouncestep rounded on Dustpaw and pressed her muzzle into Dustpaw's neck fur, and the apprentice's brown eyes stretched wide. He began to tremble, and he leaped backwards, shaking his head in horror. A chill ran up Mountainpaw's spine.

"What's happening?" whispered Stealthpaw. Mountainpaw shook his head, unable to answer. The three apprentices were speechless as they watched the scenes fold out in front of them. As heavy sobs racked Bouncestep's body, Dustpaw wore a mask of terror and shook his head, taking a few steps backwards. At last, the two cats pressed together, and as Bouncestep cried into Dustpaw's back, Mountainpaw and Stealthpaw exchanged a glance of confusion. But then, the two toms heard Littlepaw's gasp and turned to him. The small golden tom glanced up at them, his amber-and-blue eyes glimmering with sadness.

"Her decision's been made," he told them. "Bouncestep is staying in the mountains."

"But…why?" meowed Stealthpaw. "Why did she even consider staying? She loves ThunderClan! It's been her home forever! She loves us, her friends!" His gaze turned to Dustpaw. "She loves Dustpaw."

"No." From behind them, Mountainpaw turned to see Brackenpaw and Willowpaw. Brackenpaw was speaking; Willowpaw looked up at him just like the others. "You know Bouncestep, Stealthpaw. She always wants to know what would have happened if. If she leaves her birthplace behind; if she leaves her family behind…she will never forgive herself. I know it. You know it." He paused, glancing at Dustpaw. "My brother knows it. And so does Bouncestep." In Dustpaw's brown eyes, Mountainpaw could see sadness. Bouncestep's eyes were closed, but her legs trembled as she thought about the consequences of her decision.

"Then we might as well say goodbye," he meowed quietly. "Bramblestar and the other leaders want to move out at dawn."

"Give them time," murmured Willowpaw, her blue eyes shining with compassion. "Dustpaw's goodbye means more to her than anything." Mountainpaw stared at his sister, and she met his eyes. He smiled slightly, and nodded. She was right.

Mountainpaw darted up to where Bramblestar was idly washing himself.

"Bramblestar!" he called. The ThunderClan leader paused and turned to face his apprentice, his amber eyes glowing. "Are we leaving soon?" Mountainpaw knew that he'd have to lead the way, and he wanted time to say goodbye to Bouncestep.

"Soon," he answered. "We should meet the other leaders."

"Can I say goodbye to Bouncestep, first?" begged Mountainpaw. Bramblestar's amber eyes glazed over.

"We're losing another Clanmate," he mumbled. Mountainpaw stared up at him and wondered just how it would feel to be leader during all of this chaos. Then, Bramblestar shook his head. "Of course you can, Mountainpaw. I'll come with you, just to ensure…" Bramblestar's rant continued, but Mountainpaw wasn't paying attention. His dark paws burned with the thought of being a leader. All those cats, looking up to you, admiring you…leading them into battle without a fear in the world…not being afraid of dying in battle…

"Bramblestar!" Bouncestep's voice cut through Mountainpaw's daydream. He turned to face the beautiful she-cat, knowing very well that he may never see her again. Bouncestep bowed her head. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me stay so long in ThunderClan. Thank you for helping me to become a warrior, and learn all the lessons of life." Mountainpaw glanced up to see Bramblestar smile, touching his nose to the top of the young cat's head.

"You would have made a great warrior of ThunderClan," said Bramblestar. Bouncestep looked up, her blue-violet eyes shining with the gratitude she had just expressed. "I am sorry to see you go." He sighed, making Bouncestep wince. "Were you unhappy?"

"No!" gasped the young she-cat, beginning to tremble. "I love ThunderClan! But…" She paused, glancing behind her, where a few young Tribe cats were playing. "But this is my home. No matter how many moons I spent in ThunderClan, this is the place I was born. If I don't stay…I'll never forgive myself."

"Very well," responded Bramblestar, masking what seemed to be bitter regret with a cool tone. "I hope you do not forget us."

"I'll never forget ThunderClan," whispered Bouncestep. Bramblestar looked down at Mountainpaw and nodded.

"Goodbye, Bouncestep," said Mountainpaw sadly. The young warrior's eyes went to him, and she smiled.

"Goodbye, Mountainpaw." Bouncestep padded forward and touched noses with him. "You'll be a great warrior one day, I know it." Mountainpaw gazed up into her blue-violet eyes.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"With that hunting crouch?" purred Bouncestep. "If you don't, I'll be surprised."

"If ThunderClan ever has to come back to help out the Tribe, I'll be with them," promised Mountainpaw. "And then you can see how well I've done." Bouncestep laughed.

"I wish I could have stayed to see you become that fantastic warrior," she meowed. "I don't think I'll meet a Tribe kit as talented as you."

"Thanks, Bouncestep," said Mountainpaw. "It means a lot to me."

"I know." She sighed. "Goodbye, Mountainpaw. Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"Maybe," agreed Mountainpaw. "Goodbye, Bouncestep." He backed away to Bramblestar and nodded. The dark tabby had been watching their exchange silently. As Mountainpaw joined him, he looked back at Bouncestep.

"He loves you, you know," Bramblestar said suddenly, making Bouncestep look back at him in surprise. "My son."

"I know," whispered Bouncestep, studying her paws like a new apprentice. "Tell him, please. Tell him that I'll always love him." Her eyes clouded. "I don't think he knows."

"He knows." Mountainpaw's voice cracked as he said the words. "He knows."

"Well, remind him," added Bouncestep. "He needs his friends." Mountainpaw nodded, a silent promise. Then, both cats turned to find the other leaders, leaving Bouncestep behind forever.

"Were you hoping that she'd stay?" asked Mountainpaw. Bramblestar didn't reply for a moment.

"I was," he admitted. "I feel like ThunderClan needs a warrior like Bouncestep. And…" He paused. "Windblow needed her. He lost Briarpaw. He needed Bouncestep.

"The three of them were inseparable, you know," Bramblestar continued, his amber eyes becoming glassy as he thought of the past. "Bouncestep was like their sister, in many ways. They did as much of their training together as they could, and when they couldn't, they would tell each other about it.

"And Mouseclaw was there, too. He helped them with their training whenever he could…he was like their best friend, in a way. It was the joke of some of the younger warriors that the four would even have their kits together: Briarpaw with Mouseclaw and Windblow with Bouncestep.

"But then…things changed. The foxes showed up. Mouseclaw became a warrior and all but shut them out. He was afraid for them, and wanted to isolate himself. Briarpaw lost some of her spirit without their fourth part. Bouncestep fell for Dustpaw, and all but left her 'siblings'. Windblow…he doesn't deal with loss well. Like Mouseclaw, he began to isolate himself, and he would be away from camp more often. It was strange.

"You and your siblings barely got to see them at their happiest. Briarpaw, who loved kits, used to play with you whenever she had the chance, but that wasn't the happiest she was. Her spirits were always exceptionally high, but that was just her act to show that everything was alright. The truth was, she missed Mouseclaw, she missed Windblow, she missed Bouncestep.

"When she was hurt, she saw that it was the end. Her mask of happiness was gone. Depression sunk in, and the other three realized that they had been wrong. Mouseclaw returned to them, but it was too late. Windblow spent more time with her, but it wasn't enough. Bouncestep put her promises to Dustpaw on hold so she could reconcile with Briarpaw, but that was a mistake in itself.

"Everyone realizes something when they die. A leader realizes things he's forgotten, or things he should have noticed. And Briarpaw, I know, learned that her best friends cared for her."

"Bramblestar?" asked Moutainpaw quietly. His mentor jerked awake and glanced down at him. "How do you know all that?"

"It's my job as leader to notice things," he responded. "I have to make sure that things aren't messed up from the inside. If they are, then how are we supposed to be strong on the outside?" He smiled at Mountainpaw's confused look. "You'll understand someday, Mountainpaw."

"Bramblestar! There you are!" Mountainpaw's head whipped around to see that they had been walking the whole time, and that the three other leaders stood in front of them.

"Sorry," Bramblestar said coolly. "ThunderClan has just lost a Clan-mate."

"It's happened before," pointed out Onestar. "But I understand that you are grieving." Bramblestar nodded.

"Can we go?" asked Blackstar. His gaze settled on Mountainpaw. "Do we still have that little path of yours to guide us?" Mountainpaw looked ahead of them, narrowing his eyes. He zoned out the chatter of the cats behind him and focused on the little things about the rocks. But nothing special was standing out to him…where was the path?

There! A tiny sunbeam had caught onto one of the dark rocks, lighting up its surface. Mountainpaw smiled.

"This way," he reported, bounding ahead to jump up on the rock. To his relief, the sun shone down on the rocks, creating a shimmering path for him to follow. Mountainpaw looked up at the sky. _Thank you,_ _StarClan, _he thought. He smirked at the annoyed look on Blackstar's face, but he kept it to himself.

"So, who will lead and who will keep to the back?" Mistystar asked lightly.

"I'll lead," suggested Bramblestar, standing next to Mountainpaw.

"You've been leading the entire time," pointed out Blackstar sharply.

"Seeing as Mountainpaw _is_ my apprentice," Bramblestar responded coolly, "I think I should be standing beside him." The ShadowClan leader narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but Onestar cut in,

"We don't have time for this. Bramblestar, perhaps it would be wise to let Mountainpaw stand on his own for the moment. I'll come to the back with you; we can watch our Clans from there. Mistystar, Blackstar, will you stay up front?" Blackstar glared at Bramblestar smugly before nodding, Mistystar flicked her tail with approval. "Good."

Mountainpaw didn't think this was a good idea at all. He glanced up, fearful, at Bramblestar. With a glance at Blackstar, Bramblestar bent down to whisper in Mountainpaw's ear.

"Don't be afraid," he advised. "They aren't going to hurt you." Mountainpaw nodded, looking between the two leaders he would be leading. "Blackstar may not trust you, but he is smart enough than to pick a fight. And Mistystar will listen to you. She knows you are StarClan's messenger." Nodding again to his apprentice, Bramblestar moved away with Onestar.

_StarClan's messenger,_ thought Mountainpaw, turning slowly back to the path he would be traveling on. _It seems like a name given to a wonderful leader…or a medicine cat. _Then these thoughts changed. _What if I _will be_ that wonderful leader? Mountainstar, leader of ThunderClan._ Mountainpaw smiled to himself at the thought.

Mountainpaw looked at Blackstar and Mistystar, who needed him to show the way. They needed him to lead them.

"Let's go," he meowed in his most regal voice, and he bounded over the edge of the rock and down the ravine, following the sunlit rocks. Maybe he _was_ StarClan's messenger after all.

"You're in a cheerful mood," observed Skypaw as Mountainpaw settled down beside her.

"Am I?" meowed Mountainpaw, although he knew very well that it was true. Skypaw stared at him. "Aren't you going to ask why?"

"Well," replied Skypaw coolly, "It doesn't seem in Dustpaw's best interest." Mountainpaw stared at her, dumbfounded, for a moment. Then he jerked awake, looking around at Bluepaw, Greypaw, Stealthpaw, and Littlepaw. A few tail-lengths away from them sat Dustpaw, gazing up into the sky.

"Oh," he whispered, his shoulders drooping. "Right."

"Oh, right," mimicked Bluepaw, her voice filled with scathing. "Can't you think of anyone else but yourself, Mountainpaw? You're not StarClan-sent, you know."

_But I _am_ StarClan sent,_ Mountainpaw whined silently.

"Woah, Bluepaw," soothed Greypaw. "I'm sure Mountainpaw just forgot."

"Forgot that Bouncestep's go-?"

"DON'T." The single word from Dustpaw caught them all by surprise. Mountainpaw glanced at the apprentice to see that he had whipped around, his brown eyes furious.

"I'm sorry, Dustpaw," whispered Bluepaw, breaking the shocked silence. "I didn't mean…I didn't…it was…"

"It's fine," hissed Dustpaw, turning away from them again. The anger in his voice told Mountainpaw that it was indeed _not_ fine. Then, his tough exterior melted and he hunched his shoulders, his body shaking with the grief. Mountainpaw watched him with shock in his blue eyes. This was not the Dustpaw he knew. Remembering what Bouncestep had told him, he edged forward to sit beside Dustpaw.

"She'll always love you," he murmured. Dustpaw turned to look at him, tears in his dark eyes.

"Then why did she leave me?" he replied, his voice quivering. Mountainpaw found that he could not answer the question, and he shook his head.

"We're here for you, Dustpaw," Bluepaw meowed, coming to his other side. "We understand."

"No you don't!" The tough lashing made Bluepaw and Mountainpaw wince away. "You don't understand." The tears fell fast from Dustpaw's eyes. Mountainpaw folded his ears back and crept to rejoin his friends. Stealthpaw shot him a sorry glance, but Mountainpaw did not reply. "No one understands."

"I hate to interrupt…" Mountainpaw turned around to see Toadfoot. "Bluepaw, you're wanted for a hunting patrol. You, too, Mountainpaw." Mountainpaw jumped to his paws, nodding and scampering after Toadfoot. Bluepaw followed more slowly.

"A hunting patrol!" gasped Mountainpaw. "This is great!"

"You really can't think of anyone else but yourself," she spat. "I'd go join ShadowClan if you became leader of ThunderClan."

"I'd make a great leader!" shot back Mountainpaw, indignant.

"Oh, yes. All hail Mountainstar, leader of SelfishClan," snapped Bluepaw. "A very impressive Clan you'd have." Mountainpaw felt his fury building inside him.

"I'm sorry," he growled. "Do you have a problem with me or something?"

"Only the problems you can't seem to get rid of," replied Bluepaw. Irritation made Mountainpaw want to claw her.

"Like what?" he asked gritted teeth.

"Like your extraordinarily bad modesty skills, for one thing," snapped Bluepaw. "Not to mention the fact that you can't think about other people's giant problems once a tiny little happiness sparks for you. Or that you find yourself so great that you don't even need to work on anything."

"I find myself so great!" cried Mountainpaw. "Maybe _you're _the one that finds me so great."

"Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying?" Bluepaw meowed. "Let's add deafness to that ever-lasting list of yours."

"Would you two give it a rest!" snapped Toadfoot, whirling on them.

"What seems to be the problem, Toadfoot?" Hazeltail and Ivypool were waiting for them; Brackenpaw was sitting between them, looking bored.

"Bluepaw's going at Mountainpaw and Mountainpaw's going at Bluepaw!" answered Toadfoot. "I can't take the bickering!"

"Bluepaw…" warned Ivypool. Bluepaw gave a hiss but said nothing. Mountainpaw stared at her smugly, making the blue-grey apprentice open her mouth to give an angry retort.

"And the Icecloud _I _know," started Hazeltail before Bluepaw could give her biting comment, "wouldn't want her son to be so snappy either." Mountainpaw lashed his tail, looking down at his paws.

"Come on," sighed Toadfoot. "We have hunting to do." Bluepaw gave Mountainpaw a small hiss and stalked up next to her instructor. Hazeltail and Ivypool followed, letting Brackenpaw drop behind with Mountainpaw.

"What did she say?" asked Brackenpaw, amusement in his voice. Mountainpaw didn't see anything funny about the situation at all. Irritation heavy in his voice he snapped,

"That I was selfish, and not modest, and that I never thought of anyone when they were having problems, and -."

"Alright, alright. It was just a question." Brackenpaw flicked his tail. "You know, she's said bad things to everyone."

"Has she made an entire list?" demanded Mountainpaw. Brackenpaw hesitated thoughtfully.

"Well…" he trailed, "not exactly. But that's just Bluepaw: mad at the world." Mountainpaw gave a small huff. "Don't take it personally, Mountainpaw."

"Alright," Hazeltail meowed before they could say anymore. "Let's split up into groups. Brackenpaw, you can come with Ivypool and I. Mountainpaw, go with Toadfoot and Bluepaw." Mountainpaw gritted his teeth, earning a sympathetic glance from Brackenpaw. He loped after Toadfoot and Bluepaw, knowing to keep to the back in case she lashed out again.

"What do you smell, Bluepaw?" asked Toadfoot. Mountainpaw scented the air. _There's mouse,_ he identified. _And is that…thrush? No, no…it's finch. And there's this one scent I don't know…maybe it's just a piece of prey from the mountains._

"Mouse," answered Bluepaw. "And finch."

"Good," praised Toadfoot. Mountainpaw lashed his tail. He could have done that! "Now, see if you can catch something. Mountainpaw, you keep guard. Watch for anything that could catch us by surprise." Mountainpaw nodded and looked around him.

Soon, Bluepaw had found her finch. Mountainpaw watched as she dropped down into a crouch. As much as he disliked the prickly apprentice, he found himself admiring the grace in which she moved forward, her paws barely skimming the rocky ground. Her muscles rippled as she gathered herself to pounce on her unsuspecting prey.

Suddenly, with a powerful screech, something huge descended from the sky. Mountainpaw called a warning, but by the time Bluepaw could react, it was upon her. Letting out a fierce yowl, Mountainpaw launched himself forward, digging his claws into its body. It was a bird, and a big one at that. Hissing furiously, Mountainpaw hung on, wrenching it off of his den-mate. He leaped off as the bird took flight again, crying out in pain.

Bluepaw sprung up immediately. Panting, Mountainpaw turned to face her, ready for a thank you and an apology for being so snappy earlier. But the light in Bluepaw's eyes was not of gratitude – it was of anger.

"What in StarClan's name was _that?"_ she screeched. "You lost me that finch!"

"I just saved your life!" retorted Mountainpaw.

"I never would have _needed_ saving if you were actually paying attention!" hissed Bluepaw. "You're such a mouse-brained idiot! And plus," she added, as if realizing something, "I didn't need saving."

"Yeah, right," snapped Mountainpaw. "That thing was about to carry you away. You couldn't do anything about it."

"It was just a big bird!" insisted Bluepaw. "No problem!" She gave a hiss and marched off. Mountainpaw sighed and rocked back on his haunches.

"Keep guard, Mountainpaw!" Toadfoot reminded him. Mountainpaw, still out of breath, whipped around to yell at the warrior, but seeing the look in Toadfoot's amber eyes, decided against it. He hissed under his breath. That ungrateful little…

"Hmmm…" observed Brackenpaw as Mountainpaw told him the story. "Maybe she does hate you."

"Why? What did I do to her?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. The apprentice's voice was muffled by the wren he carried, but Mountainpaw could still make out what he was saying. "Actually, it's probably because she's jealous."

"Jealous?" mewed Mountainpaw, taken by surprise. "Of what?"

"Well, you were made an apprentice a moon and a half earlier, you're _Bramblestar's_ _apprentice_, you keep mysteriously disappearing off to who knows where everyday…" started Brackenpaw calmly. "Speaking of, where do you go everyday?"

"Uh, to walk with Birdpaw," lied Mountainpaw, feeling the heat rush through him as he did so.

"I didn't think you were that close," meowed Brackenpaw.

"Well, I told her I would, so…"

"I guess that makes sense," Brackenpaw agreed. As he went on to talk about his hunt, Mountainpaw stifled a sigh of relief. He glanced up at the sky.

_If I'm your messenger, StarClan,_ he meowed silently, _then why can't the others see me as just that?_

But as the Five would find out, being StarClan's messengers wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

* * *

**Elsi: I really wanted to write that last line there. See it? See it? **

**Trek: I'm sure they do.**

**Elsi: Right. So, I'm in school now, playing softball, doing stuff, blah. Which means...**

**Trek: That Elsi won't have as much time on her hands to write these stories! Ta da!**

**Elsi: Sorry, but it's true. I mean, not that I'd pick school over writing this. I mean, who likes writing? **

**Crowd: YAY!**

**Trek: Who likes Algebra?**

**Crowd: ...**

**Elsi: My point exactly. BUT, it might help if you reviewed. I'd be like "WOAH! They still care! I'm gonna go write Chapter 13! It's Littlepaw's chapter, by the way. And then comes Skypaw! Everyone's fav, am I right?**

**Trek: Well, I don't know. They actually haven't told you...**

**Elsi: Point. OH LOOK! IT'S A COW! Bye!**

**Trek: A cow? Where? Elsi? Elsi?**


	15. Chapter 13: Friends and Enemies

**Elsi: Hello, hello! Look! It's one of my promised two chapters for the week! YAY!**

**Trek: While this chapter was being written...Elsi got reviewed.**

**Elsi: And here I will say THANK YOU! to kami for reviewing pretty much all of my YOU! **

**Trek: In response to your question, Doveheart, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze have POV's the first three chapters of the book and the last three chapters. And for anyone who wondered why Ivypool was included in the poll, she works her way into that rotation starting in book two.**

**Elsi: On a different note, this is a short chapter compared to some of the others. It's also kind of a boring one. Forgive me! The next one will be better!**

**Trek: Elsi doesn't own Warriors. She owns the Five, Ivykit and Co., Jaypaw/Bearpaw/Rushkit, the ThunderClan apprentices, Mouseclaw and Friends, and...yeah.**

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Chapter 13: Friends and Enemies

"Look at it," muttered Stealthpaw. Littlepaw already was looking at it, well, staring at it really. He gazed down the final slope of the mountain, where rolling hills and thick trees caught his eye . A wide, twisting river weaved through the mass of green, glistening in the evening light. The six of them: Littlepaw, Stealthpaw, Rustpaw, Dustpaw, Brackenpaw, and Runningpaw, stood in one line, each of them thinking their own thoughts.

"I guess it's our home now," said Rustpaw quietly.

"Home," whimpered Dustpaw. Littlepaw turned to look up at the flecked apprentice to see the sadness in his eyes.

"I suppose it's really what got us into this mess," commented Runningpaw, not taking her eyes off of the wide land before them. "We're here because we were kicked out of our home."

"So, if that's our home…and this is our home…" Littlepaw started, "Then which one is really our home?" Brackenpaw narrowed his eyes in determination.

"This one, Littlepaw," he insisted. "It's the only one that counts." With that, the ginger tom leaped forward, plunging after the tide of cats already starting down the final descent. Runningpaw laughed and bounded after her brother, with Rustpaw hot on her heels. Standing next to Dustpaw and Stealthpaw, Littlepaw watched until their pelts had slipped far enough out of his sight.

"Come on then," Stealthpaw meowed, and he jumped. Littlepaw's stomach clenched, but he followed suit. As soon as his paws hit rock, he found himself moving faster than his small legs could carry him. Littlepaw let out a yelp of surprise, looking for Stealthpaw. But everything was a blur at this point, and al Littlepaw could do was hold on.

Suddenly, he gasped, for the final bit of the slide down the mountain was a bit of rock hanging out. All at once, Littlepaw fought to get a firm grasp to stop himself, but he tumbled head over heels off the edge and stopped in a heap on the dusty grass. _Grass._ As Littlepaw processed this, he didn't even notice the shadow looming over his head.

"Nice landing, Littlepaw," laughed a familiar voice. Littlepaw, his face still determinedly mashed in the ground, peered up to meet a pair of bright green eyes.

"Hiya, Ivykit," he replied as cheerfully as he could. Spitting out dirt, Littlepaw pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"Lizardkit and I thought you'd forgotten about us," she mewed. Shaking his head, Littlepaw met her gaze.

"I just never found a good time to visit," he answered. "There have been a lot of problems with my friends."

"Well, I'm your friend, right?" Littlepaw gave a mrow of amusement.

"We've only talked a few times," he pointed out.

"Still," continued Ivykit. "We're friends." She sighed. "There aren't many WindClan apprentices, and most of them are too busy to play with us."

"I'm sorry," meowed Littlepaw, his heart going out to her. "That must be tough."

"Well, I just play with Lizardkit and Thrushkit," sighed Ivykit, studying her paws. Littlepaw didn't know how to answer, but then, Ivykit looked up. "Did you play with your siblings a lot?"

"We play all the time," answered Littlepaw. "Well, except for Birdpaw."

"You have time to play…as apprentices?" mewed a voice. Turning around, Littlepaw saw Lizardkit trotting up to them, Thrushkit behind her. The latter's eyes were narrowed with hatred, but his sister only looked suspicious.

"Uh, um, on the journey, yeah," stammered Littlepaw. _I've got to get better at this lying thing,_ he said to himself. Straightening, Littlepaw nodded. "Since we were just made apprentices, we're still used to being kits."

"I can understand that," agreed Ivykit, tilting her head and nodding thoughtfully.

"Hello, Lizardkit," Littlepaw greeted, "Thrushkit." Thrushkit grumbled a hello; Lizardkit echoed it.

"Littlepaw?" meowed Ivykit. Littlepaw turned back to the youngest kit, who had her head tilted to the side. "Can we meet your siblings?" Littlepaw shrugged.

"Sure," he agreed.

"Oh, that would be a great idea!" agreed Lizardkit, her eyes going wide as well. "What do you think, Thrushkit?" Littlepaw flashed his gaze onto the biggest kit, who was still gazing at Littlepaw with distrust in his eyes.

"Oh, alright," he huffed at last. "But you'd better go ask Sedgewhisker."

"Come on, Lizardkit!" cried Ivykit, taking off. "We'll meet you here in a second!" Littlepaw and Thrushkit watched them go in silence. Uncomfortable with the way Thrushkit had been acting around him, Littlepaw sat down and curled his tail around his paws.

"What do you think you're trying to do?" snapped Thrushkit, whirling around.

"What do you mean?" Littlepaw asked, staring up at the bigger tom.

"Ivykit and Lizardkit are _my_ sisters," snapped Thrushkit. "And then you come in and suddenly, they have a friend. And I'm left there in the dust, as if I wasn't there at all."

"Look, Thrushkit," meowed Littlepaw slowly. "I didn't ask for Lizardkit and Ivykit to be attached to me. I just asked for your mother's help one day, and they took a liking for me. They're sweet kits."

"They're sweet kits," repeated Thrushkit, curling his lip. "How dare you." Littlepaw just cocked his head slightly.

"Do you have a problem with me, Thrushkit?" he meowed, staying calm as usual.

"How dare you," continued Thrushkit. "You've been an apprentice for what, a moon and a half? And we're going to be apprentices as soon as we get back. You have no right to treat them like they're three moons old."

"I'm not treating anyone like they're three moons old!" hissed Littlepaw, now fighting to remain calm. "I'm treating them the same way I'd treat _you,_ Thrushkit, because in case you haven't forgotten, you're their _littermate,_ not their _father_."

"Why you piece of fox-dung!" growled Thrushkit, rising above Littlepaw. "You don't know my sisters! I'm their brother! I know how to treat my littermates!"

"I have littermates, too," growled Littlepaw. "And I assure you, I don't swoop around protecting them! I let them live their own lives, because they deserve that!" At this, Thrushkit stopped, gasping. Littlepaw kept his amber eyes trained on Thrushkit's green ones.

"Live their own lives," he repeated shakily. The shock in his eyes was quickly replaced with smoldering anger. "Ivykit and Lizardkit would get hurt out there, okay! What do you know about it! Your siblings have more than just you. Mine only have me."

"Maybe that's why they grabbed onto me," Littlepaw said slowly, recognizing that the dusty brown tabby was fighting back tears. "Maybe they need someone else. Maybe…maybe _you_ need someone else, Thrushkit." Littlepaw touched his tail tip to Thrushkit's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" hissed Thrushkit, flinching at the touch. His green eyes flamed with fury. "Just stay away from them, Littlepaw. Or…or I'll make you!"

As the threat registered with Littlepaw, his eyes grew wide, and he took a step backwards. But Thrushkit was serious.

"She said we could go!" cried Ivykit's voice, and out of the corner of his eye, Littlepaw saw the two sisters bounding back towards them. He couldn't pull his gaze away from Thrushkit's until the large tom forced himself to relax and face his littermates.

"L-let's go, then," meowed Littlepaw, and he scented the air to search for his siblings.

The four of them wove through the cats towards Skypaw's scent. Suddenly, a loud yowl rang out.

"We will stay here tonight!" It was the voice of Onestar,

"Good," meowed Ivykit. "It's pretty here." Littlepaw couldn't help but agree. Just at the base of the mountain was a dip in the earth between two small hills. They continued moving along, moving through the cats who were now returning to their Clans and plopping down.

"There you are!" cried a voice. Littlepaw turned around to see Skypaw bounding towards him, Willowpaw behind her. "Dustpaw saw you going down the hill. You've got to be careful, Littlepaw. You know you can't -." Willowpaw coughed loudly, making Skypaw look up. "Who's this?"

"Skypaw, this is Ivykit, Lizardkit, and Thrushkit. Guys, this is Skypaw, my older sister, and Willowpaw."

"Hi!" meowed Ivykit brightly.

"What were you saying earlier?" asked Lizardkit, staring at Skypaw. Skypaw focused her blue eyes on the kit, and Littlepaw had the chilling feeling that his sister was probing her mind.

"Skypaw," he murmured. Skypaw shook herself.

"Oh, about Littlepaw?" meowed the she-cat. "It's nothing, really."

"Is it?" Lizardkit pressed.

"Well, I'm smaller than my friends," pointed out Littlepaw quickly. "Skypaw thinks I should be careful about pushing myself just like they do."

"Right," Skypaw confirmed. Lizardkit's suspicious look was back, and Littlepaw turned to his sisters.

"Where's Mountainpaw?"

"He's with Bramblestar," Willowpaw chirped before she could think. There was a pause.

"His mentor," explained Littlepaw to the three.

"That's really amazing," sighed Ivykit. "I wish Onestar was my mentor."

"It might happen," purred Willowpaw. She paused. "Do you want to practice some battle moves?"

"Sure!" meowed Lizardkit. Skypaw and Willowpaw exchanged a glance and nodded. Lizardkit let out a yowl and pounced, pushing Willowpaw down. Soon, Skypaw attacked to defend her sister, leading Thrushkit into their 'battle'. Littlepaw watched, curling his tail around his paws. Ivykit was about to dart in before she noticed him.

"Don't you want to play?" she asked, coming to sit next to him. Littlepaw shrugged.

"I'm not in the mood for fighting," said Littlepaw. "I don't like to fight much."

"Some warriors don't," agreed Ivykit. Littlepaw looked at her in surprise. Where did the young and naïve kit go? Seeing his look, Ivykit raised her eyebrows.

"Thrushkit needs someone to treat like a kit," she meowed. "I try to give him that." She laughed. "But it's not me. I'd rather do things on my own…you know?"

"Yeah," answered Littlepaw. "Yeah…I do."

"Do you ever feel that way?"

"All the time," Littlepaw told her, surprised at where his words were coming from. He paused. Had he ever wanted to be alone…by himself…without Skypaw or Mountainpaw right there? But now that he thought about it, he realized that he did.

"What's ThunderClan like?" asked Ivykit, her green eyes glowing up at him.

"Well…" started Littlepaw slowly, "The elders are grumpy, and the warriors are bossy, and the kits…well, we don't have any kits at the moment."

"I guess every Clan is the same," sighed Ivykit. "But what's it like...to live under trees? Isn't it dark all the time? Do you ever feel the wind in your fur, or the grass around your paws?"

"It's nice," replied Littlepaw. "I've only been out under the trees a few times, though."

"What?"

"Well, I was a kit before we moved. I had to stay in camp."

"Oh." The two were silent for a moment. "What's great about WindClan is…you feel free."

"What do you mean?"

"Sleeping out under the stars," purred Ivykit. "You look up and there's Silverpelt, watching you. But you don't feel like they're right there, either. It's…just nice."

"Well, we're sleeping under the stars tonight," pointed out Littlepaw. "You'll have to show me." Ivykit laughed.

"I'll ask Sedgewhisker if you can stay with us tonight," she offered. "I mean…you have to walk us back eventually."

"Yeah," sighed Littlepaw. "I think I'll like that."

Littlepaw looked around the WindClan cats, taking a deep breath. This would be strange, wouldn't it?

"Littlepaw!" Littlepaw smiled, hearing Ivykit's voice. He padded towards the kit, who was patting the ground next to her.

"Thanks for letting me stay," he meowed.

"Thanks for staying," chirped Ivykit. Littlepaw blinked, taken by surprise; then he realized that Thrushkit was still awake. He lay down, looking up at the stars.

At once, his breath was taken away.

"There are so many," he whispered. Ivykit laughed lightly.

"StarClan must be big," she sighed. "I wonder if StarClan cats are the same as they are here."

"I can just imagine Briarpaw up there," he started. "She'll be happy again, hunting wild and free."

"Briarpaw?"

"The apprentice that…that died before the journey…" murmured Littlepaw.

"Oh." The two cats were silent. "Were you close to her?"

"No," answered Littlepaw. "But she was the most energetic cat in the Clan. Losing her kind of…deflated us all."

"But we made it," pointed out Ivykit. "We made the journey. There wasn't anything hard about it."

"StarClan protected us," meowed Littlepaw. "This must be where we're supposed to be, then."

"I guess." Ivykit sighed.

"What?" Littlepaw asked.

"It doesn't feel the same."

"We've got to get used to this place," he told her. "Then it'll feel like home."

"No…" trailed Ivykit. "Looking up at Silverpelt isn't the same. Usually you can feel them there, protecting you. Tonight they're just…not there."

"They've got to adjust, too," pointed out Littlepaw. "They're in a new place, just like we are."

"I guess you're right," agreed Ivykit. She turned towards him. "Goodnight, Littlepaw." Smiling, Littlepaw curled up next to her, feeling her pelt against his.

"Goodnight, Ivykit." They were silent as Littlepaw shut his eyes.

"Littlepaw?"

"Yes?"

"No matter what happens…when we go back to our own Clans…we'll still be friends…right?"

"Of course." Though he knew that they were from different Clans, enemy Clans at that, Littlepaw felt that he had found a friend that he could trust.

"Promise?"

"Promise." For Littlepaw, he felt like this was a promise he could keep.

Of course, he forgot that figuring out who your friends were and who your enemies were was hard. Even if they _were_ in your Clan.

* * *

**Elsi: Are these endings annoying you? This ending wasn't even about Littlepaw! Well, the first part was...**

**Trek: STOP GIVING AWAY EVERYTHING!**

**Elsi: They aren't rocket scientists!**

**Trek: The next chapter is going to be good. From the poll results (sorry about the poll being so confusing), we're going to make you voters happy. Remember, next chapter = Skypaw.**

**Elsi: Tee hee. Anyways, please keep up the reading and reviewing. It's lovely to find a "Review Alert" in my inbox. **

**Trek: Lovely?**

**Elsi: Lovely. Oh, and if you wish to know, I've had one Windfeather, and one Windstorm. At the moment, I'm leaning towards Windfeather. If you have input, go ahead and tell me. Don't hold back. Tell me. Please. Even though he's not a giant character...still. **


	16. Chapter 14: Scrapes and Burns

**Elsi: Hello, hello! It's Saturday! Not Sunday! And I have the chapter up! YAY!**

**Trek: Unfortunately, it's a short chapter. There's not too mucht that's crucial to the story. **

**Elsi: Oh, and this will probably be the LAST chapter for you to submit suggestions for Windblow's name. So far, I'm naming him Windfeather. Sound good to everyone?**

* * *

Chapter 14-Scrapes and Burns

Birdpaw 's paws touched on hard stone; the wind blew past her with a determined air about it. Shivering, she looked around, only to realize what was going on. She was dreaming.

As she looked down, Birdpaw realized that she was suspended upon a large, flat rock that was floating in the middle of nowhere. Above her head stretched the vast expanse of stars, shining down on her.

"Birdpaw." The single word made Birdpaw turn slowly on the spot, where the first thing she noticed made her heart soar. Descending down from the heavens above were two cats. The first was Briarpaw, a smile on her face and a shine in her eyes. Secondly came Brightheart, sporting both eyes. A purr escaped Birdpaw, and she crossed to touch noses with the two she-cats.

"Hello, Birdpaw," meowed Brightheart, stepping back. "I assume you'd like to know why you are here." Taking a deep breath, Birdpaw nodded. Briarpaw touched her tail tip to Birdpaw's shoulder, sending a cool shiver through the golden she-cat. Then, the young apprentice dipped her head to behind Birdpaw.

Revolving slowly on the spot, Birdpaw gasped. The rock in front of her had extended into a vast grassy plain, and suddenly, zooming closer and closer to her, came the biggest tree Birdpaw had ever seen in her life. She was zoomed in until she stood at its roots, staring up at the great, sturdy branches.

The type of tree it was, Birdpaw didn't know. Uncertainly, she took a step back. The roots curled out of the ground, weaving over the land in front of her and settling uneasily in the ground. From there, the trunk shot upwards, twisting and turning until it reached the branches, which extended out to StarClan, letting each star shine between the branches. From behind her, the moon shone down, illuminating every crack in the ground; every knot in the tough wood.

"What is this place?" she whispered. A ghostly pelt shone next to her, and Birdpaw turned to look at Briarpaw. The she-cat's green eyes gleamed with knowledge.

"This is the Moontree, Birdpaw."

"The Moontree?" echoed Birdpaw, looking up at Brightheart, who stood on her other side.

"StarClan will speak to you here," murmured Brightheart quietly. Birdpaw's turned her gaze back to the Moontree, nodding to herself.

"_When great overpowers good, flame will quench the eternal darkness, water will fall into starlit power, wind will curl the straight lines of truth, rock will knock at the door of balance, ice will freeze the roots of everything, and the land will shake to end it all."_ The whisper of a thousand cats at once brought Birdpaw to her senses. She gasped, looking around for the source of the noise. And when she did, she noticed something: Brightheart and Briarpaw were gone.

"To end it all?" questioned Birdpaw, her eyes stretching wide. "What do you mean?" There was no answer but the continual pounding of the wind behind her. Birdpaw turned in a circle, looking for someone to call out to. Yet she was suspended on the rock again, and there was no reply. "Briarpaw? Brightheart? Anyone?"

Birdpaw gasped awake, her claws sliding out to latch onto the moist grass below her. Sighing in relief, Birdpaw closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths.

"Birdpaw?" Beside her, Jaypaw stirred, blinking open her green eyes sleepily. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," breathed Birdpaw. "I'm going for a walk."

"Alright," meowed Jaypaw, curling up again. Birdpaw slowly stood up, her legs shaking. She began to walk around the sleeping forms of the Clans, watching as they continued dozing. While she was walking, she let her mind go.

"What was that?" she muttered to herself. "The land will shake to end it all…" She shivered, not wanting to know what that meant. And what did all that about "great overpowering good"? Wasn't that how things worked anyways?

"Does your mother know where you are?" The voice, silky and smooth, made her jump. Spinning around, Birdpaw spotted a cream-colored tom, his blue eyes gleaming at her. Under his gaze, she resisted a shiver. She forced herself to stand tall and square her jaw.

"I'm Jayfeather's apprentice," she meowed confidently. "I'm allowed to go where I want to go." At once, the tom's eyes became clouded with confusion that soon gave way to suspicion.

"You're a little young to be an apprentice, aren't you?" he asked skeptically. "What are you, four moons?"

"Of course not!" scoffed Birdpaw, taking a step forward. "I'm a good six moons, thank you very much!"

"I'm sure that's quite an accomplishment," meowed the creamy cat, well aware that he was winning the debate. Fury building inside of her, Birdpaw unsheathed her claws.

"And what do you know about it?" she spat. "You're barely six moons yourself!"

"That's because I'm not," replied the tom, beginning to wash himself lazily. "So technically, I don't know. But I do know that I'm bigger than you are."

"Most toms are," said Birdpaw coolly, eyeing him warily.

"Funny, because all the apprentices I know are bigger than me," answered the kit.

"Makes sense," Birdpaw snapped. "RiverClan cats are fat and lazy, anyways."

At her comment, the cat froze. Birdpaw relaxed and smirked, knowing that she had gotten control. Then, as if regaining himself, the young tom turned to her, a smile on his face.

"Maybe you are an apprentice, then," he meowed. "You seem to know RiverClan scent. But then again, don't we all?"

"You are conceited, aren't you," mewed Birdpaw, lashing her tail. "But yes I am an apprentice. I'm a _medicine cat_ _apprentice_, for that matter." The creamy tom raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure that's quite an accomplishment," he repeated. "I'm Rushkit, by the way."

"Birdpaw," Birdpaw replied calmly, but her heart sank. This was the cat Willowshine wanted to take on as an apprentice. Did he know, like the other medicine cats did, that they were only kits?

"Nice to meet you, Birdpaw," Rushkit replied smoothly. Fury built up inside of Birdpaw once again. He was so annoying!

"Can't say the same," she grumbled. Did she really have to put up with this cat for the rest of her life? Great. "Well, I should be going. Jayfeather will want me. There's a lot to do, you know, because that last descent off the mountain snagged quite a few claws." _There, Rushkit,_ she thought venomously.

"I'll come with you," said Rushkit. "Willowshine may need some help as well." And with that, he started trotting towards the medicine cats. Birdpaw darted in front of him, extending her tail out to stop him.

"Does your mother know where you are?" she mimicked. A flicker of shock went over his face, but then he nodded.

"Right. Then I'll see you in a moment." Birdpaw nodded for good measure at his turned back, and then she charged off.

When she returned, Jayfeather was already treating a few cats, while the other medicine cats helped with cats of their own Clans.

"Birdpaw, it's about time," snapped Jayfeather, not looking at her as he brought some horsetail over to where Berrynose was extending his cracked pad.

"Horsetail?" questioned Birdpaw, not reacting to his sharp mew. "I thought dock was better for that."

"But we don't have any dock, now do we," hissed Jayfeather. Birdpaw flinched backwards, at which the older medicine cat relaxed slightly. "Bearpaw found some horsetail, and it's the best we've got." He began to chew up the horsetail. "Oh, you should watch this."

Birdpaw watched intently as Jayfeather successfully treated Berrynose.

"Thank StarClan," meowed Berrynose, rolling his amber eyes. "It took long enough."

"Jayfeather's doing the best he can!" retorted Birdpaw. "If you think you'd be a better medicine cat, you'll do it yourself!" Berrynose stared at her for a long moment, his eyes clouded with anger. A flicker of doubt crossed Birdpaw's mind, and she wondered if she should have snapped. She kept her gaze steady, and at last, the warrior nodded sharply and walked off stiffly.

"You didn't have to do that," meowed Jayfeather quietly as Birdpaw crossed back to help him chew up horsetail for Ferncloud's pads.

"He didn't have to, either," replied Birdpaw in the same tone. When she turned to rub the juice onto the she-cat's pads, she could feel Jayfeather's gaze hovering thoughtfully on her. Pride bubbled in Birdpaw – she had impressed him.

That thought caused a spark of inspiration in Birdpaw. Taking a deep breath, she padded back to Jayfeather.

"Will you answer me a question?" she asked him. Jayfeather, knowing the type of questions Birdpaw asked by now, went stiff.

"That depends on the question," he responded, his voice barbed.

"What were you and Cinderheart talking about that one time?" she meowed. "You know, up in the mountains. When I talked to you about…about…" She didn't finish the sentence, hoping not to set him off. Jayfeather didn't answer. Birdpaw shifted her weight between her paws, feeling the tension of the question hang in the air.

"Cinderheart wanted to ask me something that I couldn't help her with," Jayfeather answered calmly. "That's all." He began to walk off to meet Poppyfrost, whose side was pricked with thorns.

"Are you sure?" meowed Birdpaw, looking after him desperately. At once, Jayfeather whipped around, his eyes smoldering.

"I'm sure!" he growled, and continued along. Birdpaw sighed.

"Alright then," she muttered to herself. "Somebody knows how to lie." Sighing, Birdpaw scampered off after him.

"What happened?" she meowed, skidding to a stop beside Poppyfrost.

"There was a thorn bush," replied Poppyfrost between gritted teeth. Birdpaw flinched with the she-cat as Jayfeather pulled another painful barb out of her fur. "And I ran into it."

"Birdpaw, come pull this thorn out," Jayfeather instructed, his voice still edged with tension. "You're small." Nodding, Birdpaw's gaze locked on the thorn he was directing her towards: it was wedged angrily in Poppyfrost's flank.

Being careful not to hurt the warrior, Birdpaw secured her teeth around the thorn and pulled hard, hearing the soft tear of flesh as she did so. Without flinching, she spat it behind her.

"Anything else, Jayfeather?" she asked, popping up next to her instructor, touching his side with her tail as she did so. Hissing, Jayfeather leaped backwards. Birdpaw took a step back, confused. Then she saw why he had recoiled, and her eyes flew wide open.

For among Jayfeather's grey tabby fur, there was a furious burn mark, still smoldering. For just by touching him…Birdpaw had burned her instructor.

* * *

**Elsi: So, let's take notes. What happened in this chapter?**

**Trek: Birdpaw had a dream about the Moontree. Oh, and there was some weird prophecy-like thing. THEN, she takes a walk and meets Rushkit. THEN, she goes back to Jayfeather, completely forgets about the dream, and tries to make him open up. I laugh. THEN, she burns him...BUM BUM BUM!**

**Elsi: That may have been delayed.**

**Trek: aH wHo CaReS!**

**Elsi: Oh, shoot. I left the coffeee machine on, didn't I?**

**Trek: CoFfEe? WhErE dId YoU gEt ThAt IdEa?**

**Elsi: I wonder...PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 15: Questions

**Elsi: Hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi! **

**Trek: She has a solo in the school musical.**

**Elsi: AND I GOT THIS CHAPTER UP REALLY QUICK! YAYS! **

**Trek: Elsi doesn't own Warriors. If she did, there'd probably be ten thousand different series by now. After OotS, probs this, and then, if you see the story about Cedarpaw, that'd be next, and then...it'd go ON AND ON AND ON.**

**Elsi: Ahem. Let's get on with the chapter.**

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Chapter 15- Questions

Skypaw looked around at all the cats around her. Though they still stayed amongst their Clans, she knew that no one was quite the same. Friendships had been made that really couldn't be broken; the four Clans would be like four sections of one for moons to come.

As Skypaw thought about it, she realized something. _Maybe we _are_ just sections of one big Clan,_ she thought. _We have the same laws, the same traditions, the same motives. Life goes on in RiverClan the same way it does in ThunderClan, and WindClan, and ShadowClan. Everyone looks to StarClan for guidance, and in StarClan…they're all one big Clan. _

"What are you thinking about, Skypaw?" murmured Greypaw from beside her, looking up from the shrew he was nibbling on. Skypaw jerked awake, blinking her namesake eyes a few times before turning to him.

"Are things going to be different now, Greypaw?" she replied quietly. "Are we just going to go back to being how we were before…or will we be closer than we were before?" Greypaw paused; Skypaw could see the thoughtfulness in his blue eyes.

"Closer, I guess," he answered. "I mean…we all made this journey together. We'll always remember it, even generations from now. But," he added, "I guess that really pushes us apart at the same time. We're seeing the cats we've grown close to…now we're enemies again. I guess it really makes the borders a lot firmer, because everyone's afraid of the other Clans thinking they're still allies. But we'll always remember how it was…even if we won't admit it."

"So…we're more hostile…because we're friendly now?" she summarized.

"Yeah, I think. Does that make se-?"

"Skypaw! Skypaw, come quick! It's an emergency!" Greypaw stopped mid-word as the two leaped up. Birdpaw was hurtling through the cats, her green eyes wide with fear. She skidded to a stop at the paws of her sister.

"What's going on, Birdpaw?" asked Skypaw, her fur beginning to bristle.

"I…I…I'm not sure, but it was weird!" cried Birdpaw, shifting from paw to paw as her legs trembled. "Come see!" Without waiting for her sister to reply, Birdpaw turned around and whisked away. Skypaw galloped after her, for worry clouded her heart.

As she ran, she could almost hear the wind whipping through her fur. Had the need not been important, Skypaw would have been purring. _Hurry, Skypaw,_ it seemed to tell her. _Birdpaw needs you. _Skypaw straightened at these words, picking up her pace.

"Birdpaw needs me," she breathed, her eyes narrowing to slits. Barely ahead of her, Birdpaw had come to a stop and was now quivering. Skypaw slowed her pace and stopped, and at once, everything died down.

"What in StarClan's name is going on?" Skypaw jumped at the voice of Greypaw. Had he really followed them? But, when she looked up, there he was. Birdpaw, who was gazing at Skypaw, flicked her gaze up at Greypaw. She hesitated. Knowing what she meant by the hesitation, Skypaw's stomach clenched. As if in slow motion, she turned to face the older apprentice.

"Can you give us a moment?" she asked. "I'll tell you what happened later…but…she needs me." Greypaw hesitated, a shadow of defiance crossing his concerned gaze. Skypaw's breath caught in her throat, but then he dipped his head.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll be with Dustpaw and Brackenpaw if you need me."

"Thanks," said Skypaw. She watched him go before looking back at Birdpaw. "Now tell me what's going on."

"Well, Jayfeather and I were healing cats, and Poppyfrost got caught in a thorn bush…so we had to pull the thorns out. I had to reach to get one of them, and when I came back out, my tail brushed against Jayfeather. Skypaw..." She gasped for breath, her eyes going wide with shock once more.

"What happened, Birdpaw?" whispered Skypaw, touching her sister's shoulder with her tail. Heat, and the pain that came with it, laced up her spine, and she jumped back.

"That's what happened," squeaked Birdpaw. Skypaw examined her tail, to find a burn mark struck across it. Smoke curled up from it, but that wasn't what caught Skypaw's attention. What did catch her attention was the color of Birdpaw's paws.

Skypaw crouched beside her sister, narrowing her eyes. She had always known that Birdpaw had strange russet paws, but she had always assumed it came from Foxleap, Icecloud's littermate. Now she looked closely, because the russet seemed to fade into gold in the strangest patterns, patterns that jagged up and down like…fire.

"Birdpaw," whispered Skypaw, astounded. "You know how you can heat things up with your mind?"

"Yeah," whimpered Birdpaw, trembling. "Does it have any connection?"

"Yes," responded Skypaw, standing up to look her sister in the eyes. "Birdpaw…your paws. That's what gives you your power. The power of…" She paused. "The power of fire."

Fire crackled in Skypaw's mind as she traveled back to find Greypaw, Brackenpaw, and Dustpaw. Her mind spun, but none of it shone through. _Birdpaw controls fire,_ she thought to herself. _What about the others? Do they have those powers? _She sat down beside Dustpaw without saying a word. Dustpaw didn't notice her either; his brown eyes were fixed determinedly on the ground.

At once, Birdpaw's problems evaporated in the light of the apprentice's misery. She glanced up at Brackenpaw and Greypaw.

"He just got the idea that this is all a dream," announced Brackenpaw. "Every so often, he'll say something along the lines of 'it's not real' or 'it's just an illusion'."

"I think he's gone insane," announced Greypaw.

"Dustpaw?" Skypaw meowed, crouching down as low as she could. "Are you okay?"

"It's just a dream," whimpered Dustpaw. "I'll wake up and realize that she's right there." Pity entered Skypaw's heart, and she touched her tail tip to Dustpaw's shoulder.

"Dustpaw, we're real. This is all real." The words made Dustpaw actually meet her eyes, jerking awake.

"Then she's…"

"Gone," replied Skypaw slowly. "She's gone, and she's not coming back." A shudder shook through Dustpaw, and he dipped his head, taking shallow breaths. Skypaw peered into his mind briefly, to be instantly hit with overwhelming confusion. She took a step back from the blow and found herself looking into Dustpaw's dark eyes.

"What's happening to me?" he whimpered. Skypaw wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question. She looked at Greypaw and Brackenpaw for aid, and Brackenpaw stepped forward.

"You've lost your first love," he said quietly, "as an apprentice. And she didn't just die…she left you all alone, and knew she was doing it."

"Did she really not love me?" mumbled Dustpaw.

"Of course she loved you," insisted Brackenpaw. "But she knew that you would find someone else."

"And you_ will _find someone else," added Skypaw quickly. "I promise."

"What's going on over here?" asked a voice. Skypaw turned to see Windfeather. Standing beside him was Mistpaw.

"We're just trying to comfort Dustpaw," Greypaw explained, glancing to Skypaw. Knowing that he was thinking of Mistpaw, Skypaw refused to meet his look.

"I see," answered Windfeather. "Maybe we could help."

"How so?" asked Skypaw quickly.

"Well, once we know what the problem is-."

"What the problem is?" cried Brackenpaw, making Skypaw turn and see the shock in his eyes. "Don't you _know_ what the problem is?"

"How am I supposed to know?" asked Windfeather, glaring back at Brackenpaw.

"You would if you cared!" declared Skypaw suddenly. Surprised at herself, she blinked a few times. But meeting Windfeather's confused amber gaze, she felt the fury building inside of her. "But you don't, do you! You don't care about Dustpaw! You don't care about Bouncestep, because evidently she didn't trust you! All you care about is her!" With that last word, Skypaw pointed her tail at Mistpaw, who took a wary step back.

"Skypaw…" warned Greypaw slowly, but Skypaw didn't listen.

"How could Bouncestep trust you?" she went on. "No one can trust you anymore! You're never around, you're sneaking out on little escapades at night, and you don't even care that you're alone!" Angry tears began to well up in Skypaw's blue eyes, but she didn't care.

"Skypaw, I thought we weren't going to-."

"Why can't you just look around and see that the Clan needs you, Windfeather! You're a ThunderClan cat, not a ShadowClan cat! The two of you can _never be together._" As she drew in breath, a sharp pain flashed across her face. Skypaw gasped, seeing the blood in front of her eyes. Silence filled the area as everyone processed what had just happened. With pain clouding her right eye, Skypaw looked around for the culprit, and saw only the droplets of blood hanging from Windfeather's claws.

She drew in a breath sharply, and Windfeather immediately looked guilty.

"Skypaw…I…" he started. But Skypaw didn't want to hear it. With one last strangled sob she turned and ran, away from Windfeather's guilty amber eyes, away from Mistpaw's pretty little shocked face that was stealing Windfeather from the Clan, away from Dustpaw and all his problems, away from Brackenpaw and his angry words that had started her rampage, away from Greypaw and the warning he had gave her. She just ran.

With the wind tugging her along, Skypaw ran without seeing, as tears of shock, frustration, and pain blurred her vision. She didn't stop until all sounds of everything died away, and it was just her, Skypaw, and no one else.

She had come to a small clearing surrounded by rolling hills and moorland. Taking a deep breath, Skypaw closed her eyes and listened. She heard something then: a small trickle of water. Unaware of what she was doing, Skypaw padded slowly towards the sound, until she came to a pool of water that was barely stirring, except for the tiny bit of water that fed it. Peering deep into the water, Skypaw gasped.

Across the right side of her face ran a small red gash, not large enough to hurt her, but large enough to draw attention. A chocked cry escaped Skypaw and she shut her eyes tight. When she opened them again, the terrible gash was still there. Since no one around was there to hear her, Skypaw collapsed on the edge of the pool and cried, sobbing into her paws and the grass below her. She cried for everything that had happened that day: Birdpaw's newfound power, Dustpaw's depression, her sudden fury at Windfeather, the gash that now ruined her face.

"You run really fast, Skypaw." The voice caused Skypaw to slowly lift her head and look around. It wasn't Windfeather, or Greypaw, or even one of her siblings. Strangely enough, Stealthpaw stood there, looking on with empathy in his eyes. Skypaw shrugged, and Stealthpaw came closer.

"I was upset," she answered quietly, well aware that her voice was trembling. Stealthpaw tilted his head.

"Who gave you that scar?" he asked. "It wasn't there the last time I saw you." Skypaw gave a gasping sob and shook her head. "Oh." With a gentleness Skypaw had never seen from a cat, he came and touched his muzzle to her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Skypaw. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was Windfeather," choked out Skypaw at once. "I accused him of something."

"What was that?" Skypaw took a step back, shaking her head. She didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"I want everyone to forget about it," she insisted. "And plus…you'll tell my brothers." Stealthpaw followed her, concern in his green eyes.

"No, I won't," he told her. "You need to talk about it, Skypaw. You always need to talk about it."

"I do not," replied Skypaw, even though she could feel the sorrow bubbling up inside of her.

"Yes, you do." The urgency in Stealthpaw's eyes urged her to tell him, but she stepped back again.

"Don't always trust Littlepaw and Mountainpaw," she meowed with a chuckle. "Whatever they've been telling you isn't true." Anger flickered over Stealthpaw's face.

"Why do you always assume your brothers control my life?" he snapped. "I know that because I notice _you,_ Skypaw, alright?" Skypaw, even more confused, stepped back a third time. She shook her head. What was he talking about?

"Alright, maybe I do," she whispered after a moment. Stealthpaw nudged forward.

"Then go on," urged Stealthpaw. "Tell me. I won't tell anyone. I'll help you."

"No," responded Skypaw, continuing back. She couldn't tell other cats, and that was the truth. Wherever Windfeather's loyalties were, she would have to deal with them alone. No one else knew…except… "I can talk to Greypaw. He already knows." This made Stealthpaw stop in his tracks. He recoiled back, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his quivering paws.

"Right," he said flatly. "Greypaw. Oh, yeah." Skypaw nodded, relieved that she didn't get herself into more trouble. But she couldn't shake the sadness of his eyes away from her mind. "Well, go on." Nodding, Skypaw started to walk back the way she came, hoping that she could find her way by her sense of smell.

"And Skypaw?" Skypaw turned around to see Stealthpaw watching her still.

"Yeah?"

"You're still beautiful with that scar. At least to me." Skypaw tilted her head, her heart warming and her blood cooling for reasons she couldn't name. "I don't know what _Greypaw_ thinks about it, though."

"I don't know," replied Skypaw.

"Well," Stealthpaw continued, "I can tell you one thing."

"And what's that?" _Why am I still talking to him?_

"Please notice that it wasn't Greypaw that came to comfort you." He paused, and Skypaw's breath caught in her throat in a terrible gasp. "It was me."

"Right," she said shortly, and started away quickly. When she was out of his range, she scented the air, set herself in the right direction, and took off as fast as she could. But as fast as she ran, she couldn't escape Stealthpaw's frightening words or the truth they brought with them: _It was me…it was me…it was me…_

* * *

**Elsi: And now, the award for "Creepiest Jealous Tom" goes to...STEALTHPAW!**

**Trek: He gives me shivers. Then again... **spoiler** and THAT'S just terrible.**

**Elsi: Uh huh. Yup. ANYWAYS, can I ask you, dear readers, for a favor? Please?**

**Trek: Say yes, because she's doing it anyways.**

**Elsi: Can I have a review? It can be a teensy weensy one, but please? Aw, man, I sound desperate. BUT I AM! How am I doing? Is Stealthpaw a creeper? Is Skypaw weird? Is Dustpaw a depressed freakazoid? TELL ME! Please.**

**Trek: She's really got to figure out what she wants.**

**Elsi: I WANT REVIEWS -and a steak.**

**Trek: And there's your AVPM of the day. Have fun with that. Bye.**


	18. Chapter 16: Annoyances

**Elsi: Hi. So. Sup. **

**Trek: Welcome to the next chapter of Elemental!**

**Elsi: Trek. Go. Staccato.**

**Trek: How about legato, hmmmm? Aaaanyways, this is your next chapter, and I truly hope that you enjoy it. Oh, and thank you very much for the reviews!**

**Elsi: Me. No. Own. Warriors.**

**Trek: Please, and I beg of you, enjoy it.**

* * *

Chapter 16-Annoyances

"You know, it's going to be sad when we split into our Clans," commented Ivykit with a sigh. Littlepaw looked at her, tilting his head slightly. The reddish she-cat blinked her green eyes. "I mean, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Ivykit," Littlepaw replied, and he felt a pang at just how true the statement was. Without warning, Ivykit suddenly pressed her muzzle into the side of his neck fur, nuzzling him gently. Littlepaw blinked down at her, unsure what was happening. Ivykit took a step back, suddenly aware of what she was doing.

"I…I'm sorry," she whispered, and took a seat next to him, a little farther away then she was before.

"That's alright," said Littlepaw, although he couldn't look at her for a good minute.

"You forgive me, right?"

"Of course," replied Littlepaw at once. "Of course."

"Littlepaw!" Both cats turned around at the call, and Littlepaw caught sight of his father. Lionblaze beckoned to him with his tail, his amber eyes staring coldly at the two of them.

"See you later," sighed Littlepaw, and he darted over to Lionblaze. "Yes?" The deputy of ThunderClan still had his eyes fixed on Ivykit, who had her ears pressed to her head, wondering if she had done something wrong.

"Walk with me," Lionblaze rumbled after a moment, tearing his gaze away from the WindClan kit. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stalked off. Littlepaw shot Ivykit an apologetic glance and scampered after him, running to catch up.

They walked a fair distance away from the crowd of cats in silence; it was an awkward, heavy silence that shattered the peace between father and son.

"Er…" started Littlepaw, thinking he should say something. "Ivykit's mom says she knows you. Sedgewhisker…from the water journey." Silence. Littlepaw shifted uncomfortably as he quickened his pace to match his father's long stride. "You know, the journey's gonna end soon. Things are going to be kind of-."

"What's with her?" demanded Lionblaze fiercely, stopping to whirl around at Littlepaw. Flinching in surprise, Littlepaw met his father's cold glare.

"What's with who?" he asked quietly.

"The she-cat."

"You mean Ivykit?" A jerk of Lionblaze's head was all Littlepaw needed to feel uncomfortable.

"We're kind of…sort of…I guess we're…fr-."

"Friends?" spat Lionblaze in a most un-Lionblaze-like way. Littlepaw nodded sheepishly, only to see the grim shake of Lionblaze's head.

"It has to end. Immideately."

"What?" gasped Littlepaw in surprise. "You mean I can't be friends with Ivykit anymore?"

"Exactly."

"But…but…but…"

"It doesn't work out!" The sharp words hung in the air for a long moment. Littlepaw took a step back, surprised to see his normally calm father like this. Lionblaze's gaze softened. "Let me tell you a story." He becokened for Littlepaw to sit near him, and Littlepaw did. Lionblaze stuck his tail around the tiny tom, warmly welcoming him to the story.

"Once, there was a young ThunderClan apprentice named…Blazepaw. Now Blazepaw was going through his training well: he had a good mentor, helpful siblings, and a bit of natural talent for being a warrior. There was one Gathering that Blazepaw went to, though, that ruined him. There he met a pretty WindClan apprentice called…Flowerpaw. Flowerpaw was a beautiful she-cat, with fine warrior skills and eyes the color of the evening sky. Soon, Blazepaw fell for her.

"They began to meet between their territories, Flowerpaw and Blazepaw did. It was harmless games at first, simple rounds of chase or pretend, you know, kit games. But then, one night, Blazepaw's sister, Leafpaw discovered that the two were meeting. Now Leafpaw was also a very bright apprentice, but she was very strict towards the warrior code, and she threatened Blazepaw. However, Flowerpaw had discovered a place that they could play where Leafpaw would never find them. And so Blazepaw and Flowerpaw continued their midnight games, sneaking out of camp once everyone fell asleep and sneaking in that morning with yet another excuse.

"This was all very well and good," continued Lionblaze, hesitating slightly, "until Blazepaw began to get behind in his training. He became distracted easily, and so tired that he lost all his skill. And that's when Blazepaw decided: the meetings with Flowerpaw had to end. So, he broke things off with Flowerpaw, and it was painful for him, so painful that every time he saw her, he would feel pains in his chest. Later, the two found other reasons to hate each other, but deep down, they still loved each other."

"What happened?" whispered Littlepaw, gazing up at his father eagerly.

"Well, they remained like that for a while, just being the best warriors for their Clans they could be. It took Blazepaw a very long time to get over Flowerpaw, but eventually, he found another she-cat that he could love even more than Flowerpaw, a she-cat that eventually became his mate and gave him beautiful kits." Lionblaze finished the story on that note. Littlepaw processed it in his mind, but something still didn't register with him.

"So what does this have to do with me and Ivykit?" he asked quietly. Surprise flashed in Lionblaze's amber eyes.

"Oh, Littlepaw, it has _everything_ to do with you and Ivykit," he said, now fighting to keep his voice under control. "You see, if you continue your friendship with Ivykit, things will turn out like they did with Blazepaw and Flowerpaw. You have to end it before you have to break yourself to do it."

"Ivykit and I have nothing more than friendship, though," snapped Littlepaw, astounded that his father could propose such a notion. "It won't do any harm."

"Littlepaw, it won't work out."

"What do you know about it?" cried Littlepaw, his patience running thin. He had always been emotional, and so Lionblaze's face softened at once.

"Littlepaw, it's the idea that counts."

"You don't get it, Lionblaze! Ivykit is my friend! We're good friends at that! But nothing more. It won't hurt the Clan, I swear it! I'll be good, I won't talk to her other than at Gatherings!"

"That's what Blazepaw said, too," sighed Lionblaze. Littlepaw backed away from his father, his heart slowly cracking.

"No," he whispered, and dashed away from his father.

"Littlepaw, wait!" cried Lionblaze, but Littlepaw didn't wait. He high-tailed it back to camp, sprinting through the cats in search of one cat. At last, he crashed head-first into her: Skypaw.

"Littlepaw?" Skypaw mewed in surprise. Littlepaw stared at his sister, gasping at what he saw. For along the side of Skypaw's beautiful face was a small gash.

"What happened, Skypaw?" he asked, his voice sounding like a small kit.

"It's a long story," she meowed, near tears. Littlepaw sat down, patting the ground next to him to indicate for her to do the same.

"Well, I've got one for you," he soothed, keeping his voice steady to offer his sister some comfort. "We can exchange." Skypaw blinked blue eyes at him.

"It would be better if I didn't tell you…" she whispered.

"We're siblings," insisted Littlepaw. "You tell me your story, and I'll tell you mine. You need someone to talk to. I can tell."

"I can just talk to…" Skypaw shook her head, breaking off. From the way she sounded, Littlepaw guessed that the words sounded like déjà vu to her, and he smiled to comfort her.

"Go on," he urged. "I won't tell a soul."

"Well…alright," agreed Skypaw. "It was with Dustpaw, earlier today. Brackenpaw and Greypaw were there…"

Littlepaw's eyes flashed open, and for a moment, all he saw was blue-grey. After a moment, he realized that he was staring at a pair of paws.

"Hello, Littlepaw." The voice was deep and calm, but it had a youthful ring to it. Littlepaw pulled himself to his paws to see a handsome tom cat with a reddish pelt. He had deep blue eyes that swirled with wisdom and energy, and his front paws, Littlepaw realized, were only a slightly darker shade than his own.

"Who are you?" blurted Littlepaw, taking a step back. Was this a StarClan cat? The young tom dipped his head.

"My name is Cedarstar, leader of ThunderClan," he announced, and Littlepaw bowed his head, awe shaking his body. "You haven't heard of me, have you?" Shameful, Littlepaw shook his head. Cedarstar laughed, and Littlepaw began surprised with how young of a leader he was. "I'm not surprised."

"You sound like there's no way I'd be able to," put in Littlepaw, looking at the young cat curiously.

"You catch on fast," Cedarstar commented, meeting Littlepaw's eyes. "You'll give that to your kits, let me promise you that." He chuckled, and once again Littlepaw narrowed his eyes, wondering what the ThunderClan leader was talking about. Cedarstar shook his head quickly. "Anyways."

"Anyways?" questioned Littlepaw. He straightened in comprehension. "You have a message for me, don't you?"

"I sure do," replied Cedarstar. He gazed at Littlepaw for a long moment, and the wonder in his eyes made Littlepaw think for a moment. Why was Cedarstar so excited to meet him? "I'm going to show you a scene in my life, alright?"

"Alright," agreed Littlepaw. The reddish tom turned and began galloping away, and Littlepaw struggled to keep up. They ran over a grassy field, on and on. Finally, things around them began to shape themselves. Littlepaw looked around in amazement, wondering how this was all possible. Then, he ran into something hard.

"Watch where you're going!" spat an elderly she-cat. Littlepaw jumped back in surprise, not meaning to startle her.

"Sorry," It was not his voice that spoke, but Cedarstar's. "How is WindClan doing, Sedgewhisker?"

"Sedgewhisker!" cried Littlepaw. But it was if the cats couldn't hear him. He looked up at Cedarstar. "Cedarstar, what's going on?"

"We _were_ fine," snapped Sedgewhisker. Cedarstar unsheathed his claws, but his temper didn't flare.

"It's unwise not to trust your Clanmates," he murmured, and continued on. Littlepaw followed him through the cats.

"There's Cedarfoot!" called someone. Littlepaw and Cedarstar looked up in unison, and Littlepaw realized for the first time where he was. They were on a small bridge of land that stretched over a wide river. Small reeds grew around the edge, but otherwise, it was pretty barren. At the moment, they were staring up at three cats who were perched on a large, flat rock.

Littlepaw searched the faces with surprise. Whitetail stood on one side, flicking her tail back and forth. Her eyes were exhausted from age, and Littlepaw wondered quietly how old she was, if Sedgewhisker was an elder.

"Cedarfoot," said Whitetail. "Where is Littlestar?" Littlepaw's breath caught in his throat. Had he heard the she-cat right? _Littlestar? That…that's me…which means that Cedarstar will be my deputy._

"Littlestar has lost his ninth life," Cedarstar announced. "I am Cedarstar now."

"Welcome, Cedarstar." The cat that had spoken first was a cat Littlepaw knew as a RiverClan apprentice – Sandpaw was her name. "We will mourn Littlestar."

"What happened?" So that must be the ShadowClan leader…Littlepaw didn't recognize him.

"Littlestar saved one of our apprentices from a badger," replied Cedarstar, standing up a little taller. The ShadowClan leader made a soft scoffing noise, while the other two leaders still looked mournful.

"Always being noble," he snapped. Cedarstar stiffened.

"He saved my son," he growled. "Even you, Webstar, would value the life of your son."

"Your son has no life!" hissed Webstar, arching his back. "He's the grandson of traitors! Even worse…he has no mother!" Surprisingly, Cedarstar did not reply. He jumped up on the rock and yowled for attention. Whitetail – well, Whitestar, now – touched her tail tip to his shoulder, but Cedarstar shrugged it off. Littlepaw watched Cedarstar, searching his blue eyes for some kind of expression, but there was nothing but anger and wisdom. Part of Littlepaw wondered why he didn't defend his son, but then he realized that Cedarstar…Cedarstar was the son of traitors. And he, Littlepaw, would make him his deputy.

"That was low, Webstar," muttered Splashstar, sending a scathing look towards the ShadowClan leader.

Suddenly, Littlepaw could no longer hear the conversation. The four leaders seemed to vanish, and the cats around him were gone just as quickly. A pelt pressed up by his side, and Littlepaw turned to see a young golden she-cat with amber eyes and blue-grey paws; she was practically his female version.

"Hello," she said quietly. "So…Cedarstar has chosen to show you this."

"The Littlestar they spoke of…that was-."

"You." Littlepaw nodded. He wanted to ask so many questions. "You must be curious to what's going on."

"Cedarstar was my deputy," said Littlepaw. "Or…will be my deputy. And his parents were traitors, and his son has no mother. But…that's all I could pick up."

"You don't seem at all surprised that this was a scene from the future," replied the she-cat. "From my time."

"Who are you?" asked Littlepaw, slightly ashamed that he hadn't asked before.

"I'm Cedarstar's sister," she told him. "My name is Gingerflower. Cedarstar made me his deputy after his first one died, but…I never got to be leader." She shuffled her paws awkwardly. "It was something I always wanted to do, and I never got the chance."

"I'm sorry," said Littlepaw sympathetically.

"What's funny," continued Gingerflower, "is that three of my siblings live in WindClan with…our other parent. If Cedarstar had gone to WindClan, and one of my brothers here, we could have both been leader." Gingerflower searched Littlepaw's face. "It was my father's choice. But…" she added, "it was probably wiser to bring Cedarstar to ThunderClan. I honor his judgement."

"But you never got to fulfill your dream," Littlepaw put in. Gingerflower shrugged.

"I helped my Clan in the best way I could," she said. "Do you understand why you were shone this?"

"Maybe…" started Littlepaw, "maybe it was to show me the right choice to make Cedarstar my deputy. That would have sent things into chaos."

"It's a chaos the Clans needed," put in Gingerflower. "That is good. Anything else?" Littlepaw paused for a moment, thinking. He opened his mouth to speak when-

"LITTLEPAW!" Littlepaw jerked awake, panting. He looked up to see Stealthpaw. "Come on! Foxleap and Cloudtail want us!"

"Alright, alright," sighed Littlepaw. He looked up towards the sky before following his den-mate. Something gold flashed out of the corner of his eye, making Littlepaw whirl around. There stood Gingerflower, glaring at him. Littlepaw shook his head quickly, wondering if he was imagining it. She just looked so real for a cat of…of the future, he supposed. Yes, it must be. She must just look like her father or something.

When he looked back, it was just Lionblaze. A shiver ran up Littlepaw's spine and he raced after Stealthpaw. But he could almost swear that Gingerflower's voice rang in his ear: _or something._

_

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_

**Elsi: Question - who the HECK are Cedarstar and Gingerflower? What in the WORLD do they have to do with ANYTHING? Since WHEN does StarClan have cats from the FUTURE?**

**Trek: See, she's uh...using accents now. Yeah.**

**Elsi: Can YOU tell ME all of that? In a REVIEW? That would be NICE.**

**Trek: Yeah, it sure would. So, can you do that? Thanks!**

**Elsi: I'll have the NEXT chapter up SOON.**


	19. Chapter 17: Piercing Anger

**Elsi: Yola yola. So, this week, I decided that I want to FINISH ELEMENTAL BOOK ONE ASAP! That way I can move on to the thicker plot (and the less confusing setting). Honestly, I think the cats are in a random stretch of land in the middle of nowhere right now. That is somewhere close to...never mind. Have fun reading!**

**Trek: Elsi, you're forgetting something.**

**Elsi: I would never forget my reviewers! kami and firestar111, thank you sooooo much! I promise I'll try to post as soon as I finish a chapter until waiting til Sunday, if that helps at all. Unfortunately, I usually write these chapters on Sundays. Oh well, I try.**

**Trek: There you go. Elsi n'est pas Erin Hunter. Translation: Elsi is not Erin Hunter.**

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Chapter 17-Piercing Anger

Willowpaw felt thoroughly proud of herself as she carried back the mouse. Its limp body hung from her jaws, and she could imagine the look on a cat's face when they ate it. Her stomach growled in hunger, and Willowpaw wondered if she would be the one to eat that mouse. Yes, that would be nice, seeing as it was her first catch.

Thinking back, Willowpaw remembered exactly how it had happened. The mouse had been so close, so unsuspecting, and Willowpaw just pounced out, catching it between her claws and feeling the satisfaction as she did so.

"Great catch today, Willowpaw," Mouseclaw meowed through the two pieces of prey he held. Willowpaw flicked her tail in gratitude, puffing her chest out as she approached the four Clans. They would all see her; they would all know that she had made this catch.

They set their catches down on the ThunderClan pile.

"Should I bring this to Blossomfall?" asked Willowpaw brightly. Mouseclaw shook his head.

"I'll bring something to Blossomfall," he meowed gently. "You can go enjoy your first catch with whoever you want."

"Can I share with you, Mouseclaw?" asked Willowpaw. "You're the one that helped me do it." Mouseclaw smiled.

"Sure," he replied. "I'll be right there." Willowpaw picked up her mouse again and skipped away, towards where she ate with her friends.

"Hello, Willowpaw," Runningpaw greeted her. "How was your hunting expedition?"

"I made my first catch!" announced Willowpaw proudly. "And Mouseclaw said I could share it with him."

"Congratulations," purred Brackenpaw. Willowpaw could see the pride in his amber eyes, but there was something else there also. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Willowpaw tried to read his expression, sensing that something was wrong from the glimmer in his eyes. Brackenpaw broke her gaze, seeming to know exactly what she was doing.

"Thanks," replied Willowpaw quietly, as if nothing had passed between them. Yet her curiosity remained, and Willowpaw made a note to talk to him later.

"It looks like a good one, too," Rustpaw meowed, taking a glance at her catch. Willowpaw let out a purr of self-satisfaction.

"Willowpaw!" Hearing her mentor's voice, Willowpaw whirled around. Mouseclaw was trotting towards her. She picked up her mouse and bounded over to meet him. However, there was an excited look in his eyes, one that Willowpaw was not expecting. The smile fell off of her face.

"What's wrong."

"Wrong?" asked Mouseclaw, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Oh. I'm going to take a walk with Swallowleaf. I know I said I'd eat with you, but…you know. You don't mind, do you?" Willowpaw's heart sank, but she opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay. Then she stopped, closing her eyes again as the sorrow turned into anger.

"Yeah, I do mind," she snapped. "You can't just tell me you're going to do something and then cancel!" Mouseclaw was taken by surprise; Willowpaw was, too. What had she just said?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean," mumbled Willowpaw, trying to control her growing irritation, "that I asked you first."

"But I didn't think you'd mind," Mouseclaw said. He made a small noise of annoyance. "StarClan, Willowpaw, you've become really attached lately."

"Attached?" gasped Willowpaw. "Me?"

"Yeah, you," shot back Mouseclaw. "You're always right there, and it's getting a little obnoxious."

"_I'm_ the attached one!" cried Willowpaw at once. "What about you? These days, it's always been Swallowleaf this, Swallowleaf that. You're always going to hunt with her, or talk to her, or eat with her."

"She's my friend, Willowpaw!"

"So am I!" Willowpaw blinked back tears as she stared up at him. Mouseclaw sighed.

"Yeah, but you're an apprentice, and -."

"And Swallowleaf is in RiverClan, so-."

"I need to spend time with her now because we're going to split up into Clans soon!" hissed Mouseclaw, towering over her. Willowpaw shrank lower to the ground, surprised by his sudden anger.

"We shouldn't be so close to cats in other Clans," mumbled Willowpaw in defense. Mouseclaw made a small scoffing noise.

"I wondered if cats would think of it like that," he growled quietly. "But I never thought one of them would be _you_." Willowpaw looked up at him in shock, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. She wished that she could take everything back, but she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Mouseclaw," she instantly mewed. "I didn't mean it like-."

"You don't get it, Willowpaw," said Mouseclaw. "You just don't get it." The words pricked at her heart, and Willowpaw watched him walk away, shaking his head. More than anything in the world, she wanted him to turn around and tell her it was a joke, or for him to turn around and beg for her forgiveness. But neither happened, and Willowpaw was left there, staring after him, tears in her eyes and a chill in her heart. She did not process what happened next, but it happened: Mouseclaw stalked up to Swallowleaf, beckoned for her to follow, and continued away with her by his side.

"Willowpaw? Are you alright?" At Runningpaw's voice, Willowpaw gave a shaky sigh, finally realizing what had happened. She sat down slowly, curling her tail around her paws and hunching her shoulders. She had to regain herself, but it wasn't possible. Her best friend had deserted her, that's all there was to it.

"I'll talk to her. Give us a moment?" At Brackenpaw's gentle statement, Willowpaw wanted nothing more than to vanish. The last thing she wanted was to have her feelings spill out in front of Brackenpaw or anyone else.

A moment later, Brackenpaw pressed up lightly beside her. Willowpaw didn't look at him, and Brackenpaw didn't talk for a long moment. As she fought to hold back tears, he sat there, being the only thing that stopped her from exploding with the feelings that were bottled up inside her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" That was all he said. Willowpaw shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut so he wouldn't see her crying. "I didn't think you would." Instantly, relief washed over her, and she opened her eyes again. He was just going to sit there?"

"You know," continued Brackenpaw, "I always figured I was Bluepaw's friend, until suddenly, I wasn't. I never thought she was my _best_ friend, but…it hurt inside. But at the same time, she helped me see the wrong things in the Clan. Her friend Heatpaw…I'm worried that their relationship is growing into something. I see that hate isn't the way to get your way. I see that…well, there are cats out there that make better friends."

"Brackenpaw?" murmured Willowpaw, hoping her voice wasn't quivering. "Is this a metaphor?" Brackenpaw chuckled.

"I guess," he answered. "You can look at it that way."

"So…I should look for the wrong things in the Clan that have to do with Mouseclaw?" whispered Willowpaw.

"It's always worth a try," responded Brackenpaw. Willowpaw could sense that he knew exactly what he was doing. She was furious that he was right, yet she was glad for a friend that knew how to make her feel better. Maybe this would work.

"Well…being close friends with cats in other Clans is bad," started Willowpaw, her mind flashing to Swallowleaf, and the way she and Mouseclaw got along so well. "And being annoyed with your close friends is bad. And…"

"And there are cats in the Clan that must understand you better," urged Brackenpaw. Willowpaw looked up at him in surprise, to see the excitement growing on his face. Brackenpaw looked away quickly, masking his expression. "Because…because Mouseclaw clearly doesn't." Willowpaw inhaled quickly, and Brackenpaw froze. But then, Willowpaw nodding, because she knew that he was right.

"Like you and Runningpaw," she meowed quickly. "Or…my siblings!"

"Right," purred Brackenpaw. "Feel better?" The tone in his voice was warm and cheerful, and Willowpaw vaguely wondered if this was because she had listed him first.

"Yeah, I guess," mumbled Willowpaw. It was true, though: the pain at losing her best friend had subsided slightly. "Brackenpaw…is there something you're not telling me?"

"No," replied Brackenpaw quickly. "Well…yeah." Surprise lit up Willowpaw's pale blue eyes, and she turned to meet his amber eyes, which were clouded with confusion and nerves. "I'm not really sure how to say it, though."

"Come on," purred Willowpaw, hoping to lighten the mood. "You're Brackenpaw. You know everything."

"I wish," answered Brackenpaw, but it was in a less intense way that he said it. "Well, I guess what I really want to say is that…I like having you around me. You're…special to me."

"Like a best friend," replied Willowpaw quickly, admitting to herself that she _had_ felt that way about Mouseclaw. Brackenpaw hesitated for a long moment, and Willowpaw wondered if she had said something wrong. What if Brackenpaw didn't want to be her best friend and was just pointing that out because that was how he felt around all his friends?

"Yeah, Willowpaw," he mewed at last, confidence ringing out in his voice. "Like a best friend." Willowpaw smiled at him, finding that she didn't feel so crushed inside anymore. She noticed that her first catch still lay beside her; she picked it up and dropped it in front of the both of them.

"Share?" she meowed. "It was for my best friend anyways." Brackenpaw paused a moment before smiling, and he nodded.

They ate the mouse over idle conversation that they would never remember. While he seemed merry and contented, Willowpaw could sense that Brackenpaw was still holding something back from her. She deliberated on this after they finished, wondering if she should press him for information.

Just as she was about to urge him to go on about what he meant, Brackenpaw moved to her side and silently began licking her head. Taken by surprise, she didn't move. But then, almost instinctively, her body began to relax and respond. Sharing tongues with Brackenpaw was different than sharing tongues with her siblings or with her other friends. While they were always chatty and ready to talk about anything, Brackenpaw just focused on the relaxation and being lazy. And plus, thought Willowpaw, it felt more best-friend-like this way. It felt like there were no secrets between them, like they didn't need to talk to understand each others' thoughts.

But as Willowpaw reflected on the situation, she realized that she didn't. He was still holding back from her. As she opened her mouth to ask him, she stopped short. There was a reason he wasn't telling her something. So she kept quiet for that moment, knowing that he would tell her eventually, because that's what all best friends did.

Willowpaw opened her eyes to find Briarpaw standing there. She let out a strong purr, jumping to her feet and touching noses with her friend.

"What are you doing here?" she meowed happily. Briarpaw flicked her tail for Willowpaw to look around; she noticed that they were standing in a large clearing. One side was made up of the edge of a small cliff; the other was a collection of trees and undergrowth.

"What do you think?" asked Briarpaw. Willowpaw yanked her gaze away to look at her friend.

"It's amazing, Briarpaw!" she meowed. Then she tilted her head slightly. "But why have you shown it to me?" Briarpaw started to walk off, signaling for Willowpaw to follow. She did, and the two of them came into a small crack in the cliff wall, one that hollowed out into a huge den. Deep into the den were two she-cats: one silver and the other golden.

"Congratulations, Willowleaf," purred the golden she-cat; her voice was so familiar that Willowpaw jumped. Birdpaw! "They're so beautiful." The silver she-cat looked up, and Willowpaw gasped.

"Briarpaw," she meowed. "That's…that's me!" Briarpaw smiled. "And those are my kits…" As Birdpaw's older self brushed past her, Willowpaw and Briarpaw padded forward.

"I'll name you Scrapekit," meowed Willowpaw's older self, licking the head of the biggest kit. "And you can be Cloudkit, for your paws." The second kit, Willowpaw noticed, had two ice-white paws to match his silvery pelt. "And you, my daughter…Daisykit." The last kit made Willowpaw's breath catch in her throat; she was long-haired and creamy, like Daisy, who had died only a few days before Willowpaw was born (she had heard tales of the gentle she-cat who had always been a queen, so she knew her appearance).

"Briarpaw," meowed Willowpaw, not taking her eyes off her kits, "this is going to be ThunderClan's camp, isn't it?" Smiling, Briarpaw nodded.

"And you must show it to them," she urged. Willowpaw tilted her head.

"But how will I know where it is?" Without warning, Briarpaw took hold of Willowpaw's scruff and jumped into the air, and suddenly they were rushing upwards through open air. Willowpaw closed her eyes tight, hoping that Briarpaw wouldn't lose her grip.

"Look," meowed Briarpaw, and Willowpaw opened her eyes. She gasped, for the world was laid out like a map before her. Down below she could trace a river, snaking through the green banks covered with trees. A smaller stream that branched off from it led into rolling hills and moorland. A long Twoleg path cut through the hills and into the beyond, and along the side of it lay the rest of the river, creating a perfect little place for RiverClan to settle. Willowpaw found another place where the river broke off into trees; this time it dried up abruptly and went into marshland.

"Now focus on where you think ThunderClan will be," meowed Briarpaw. Willowpaw's gaze instantly went to where she had first seen the river; the land covered in trees and thick undergrowth. She noticed the cliff for the first time and smiled: beyond it the land was a vast meadow brimming with flowers. She looked around even more, noticing the thick rocks and caves towards the stream, and the sandy place near the river, and the Twoleg firepit, and the small pond near it.

"This is going to be amazing," Willowpaw said, looking up towards Briarpaw. But the brown she-cat was gone. Confused Willowpaw turned her gaze back to the land, but she found that she was plummeting down into darkness. Willowpaw screamed for help from anyone, but anywhere she looked there was blackness. The air rushed past her now, and suddenly, a light shone into Willowpaw's vision: a strong river, churning below her, ready to swallow her up, illuminated by the light of a pair of furious blue eyes. Amber eyes shone beside her, glinting with an emotion that Willowpaw couldn't put a finger on. The wailing of kits came to her, and she saw Scrapekit, Cloudkit, and Daisykit wailing as their mother lay dead beside them. A shadowy figure stood beside them, his eyes switching colors every moment. And suddenly cool water overcame her, and Willowpaw woke in a cold sweat, screeching for the pain to end.

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**Elsi: It's weird. The kits all had a sign that helped out the journey. Skypaw told them that they needed to leave, Mountainpaw showed them where to go, Birdpaw saw the place to meet StarClan, Willowpaw saw the territories, and Littlepaw saw - can you guess? Littlepaw saw the gathering place! Stealthpaw just woke him up before he could guess it.**

**Trek: What's also weird is that Willow, Little, and Bird all had their dreams in a matter of like four chapters, while Mountain and Sky had their signs ages before that.**

**Elsi: I'm surprised I even gave Willow a sign. Originally her sign was Briarpaw's "don't let claws pierce your icy heart". YAY FORESHADOWING! Anyways, then I decided that the other four had signs from various cats as well, they just didn't share. And plus, the cats needed to figure out where they would live, and I wanted more from Lionblaze's chapter than just wandering in circles.**

**Trek: Yes, this is one of the last GF chapters. You have Mountainpaw's chapter and then we go back into Dove, Lion, and Jay. Sound exciting? **


	20. Chapter 18: Searches

**Elsi: Hello, hello. GUEEEEESS WHAT? This is the LAST chapter from one of the FIVE'S POV! How exciting! I've got Books Two and Three sketched out, and I already know how Book Four is going to work (partly because I wrote book four of the Elemental story using a different world a while back). But now I have to connect it with Book Three while creating a nice, good lead into Cedarstar's story, which title I cannot remember...uh...bad authoring skills.**

**Trek: Tell me about it. So, I guess this is a good time to say thanks to everyone who is still reading this! I know the chapters may seem long and tangent-like (because Elsi likes character development and piling mountains of drama together), so thanks for sticking with us! We'll have the last three chappies up ASAP for you!**

**Elsi: Oh yeah, and I don't own Warriors. I own Mountainpaw, Willowpaw, Mouseclaw, Brackenpaw, Stealthpaw, Littlepaw, Mistflower, Windfeather, and...I think that's everybody in this chapter slightly mentioned. Cool beans?**

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Chapter 18-Searches

Mountainpaw heard his name and looked around. He located Bramblestar and scurried up to his mentor, ignoring Littlepaw and Stealthpaw's surprise.

"Yes, Bramblestar?" he asked brightly. Bramblestar gave a tilt of his head, to where the three leaders were standing with their deputies. Lionblaze stood slightly towards Bramblestar, watching the conversation unfold with worry in his amber eyes.

"The deputies are going to scout the area," Bramblestar commented. "I need you to find your sister so she can go with them."

"Skypaw?" questioned Mountainpaw. Bramblestar shook his head.

"Willowpaw." Mountainpaw made a small noise of surprise. "She had a dream last night about the new camp and the new territory. Now I convinced the other leaders to let each deputy bring an apprentice, for 'experience'. In other words, the leaders know about Willowpaw's vision, but the deputies do not."

"But Willowpaw will know everything," pointed out Mountainpaw. "How will she be able to explain that?"

"It's been done before," put in Bramblestar. "But it's also been done far too many times by your littermates. I need you to explain to Willowpaw that she can give ideas to Lionblaze, who can exchange them with the other deputies. They'll listen to him because of his memories of the war." Mountainpaw nodded, understanding exactly what Bramblestar was talking about. "Hurry, Mountainpaw."

Scenting the air, Mountainpaw turned and hurried away. He raced past Littlepaw and Stealthpaw, ignoring their questions of what was going on, and continued towards Willowpaw's scent.

"Willowpaw!" As soon as he caught sight of Willowpaw, Runningpaw, Brackenpaw, and Rustpaw, Mountainpaw slowed to a stop. Both Brackenpaw and Willowpaw turned and stood up, but Willowpaw met his eyes. "You're going with the deputies to scout the area. The deputies are each bringing one apprentice, and Bramblestar wants you to go."

"What?" gasped Brackenpaw. "But she could get hurt!"

"Lionblaze will take care of me," Willowpaw assured him quickly. "I'd be glad to go. Are we leaving now?"

"Yes," answered Mountainpaw. "Come on." The two siblings took off again, Mountainpaw hoping he wouldn't have to stop from exhaustion.

"Good luck, Willowpaw!" called Runningpaw.

"Be safe!" cried Brackenpaw, a note of worry in his voice. Willowpaw flicked her tail in acknowledgement, but otherwise, the two didn't speak for another few seconds.

"Listen, Willowpaw," Mountainpaw meowed between breaths, slowing to a stop. "Bramblestar wanted me to fill you in on how things have to work. I know that you had that dream last night, but the other deputies and apprentices don't. You can't let them know that you know anything more than anyone else. You can fill Lionblaze in, and he'll drop innocent hints on how things could work. Bramblestar thinks the other deputies will listen to him."

"But can't I just tell the other deputies?" asked Willowpaw, wide-eyed. Mountainpaw shook his head.

"The other Clans are probably already suspicious enough as it is," he pointed out. "The five of us are much too small to be apprentices, and we seem to be holding a lot of power. Birdpaw's a medicine cat, Skypaw had that vision that everyone knows about, and I've been traveling with Bramblestar for the entire journey. If you show up with a dream mapping out the entire territory, things will get crazy."

"How do you know all of this, Mountainpaw?"

"I've been traveling with Bramblestar for the entire journey," said Mountainpaw simply. He was proud of his accomplishments in logic and knowledge of the Clans. At barely six moons, he was as clever and wise as any warrior. But with Bramblestar's careful teaching, he knew a lot. "Think about it, Willowpaw. The Clans have been in pretty decent condition before that war. Now, when they're just beginning to recover, they've been driven out of their home. More drama will make everything fall to pieces. The Clans don't need any more drama for another...eighteen to twenty-four moons."

"Our kits will be elders by then," said Willowpaw simply.

"Probably best for them," answered Mountainpaw. "With any hope, they'll have nothing to do with any sort of inter-Clan drama."

"With any hope," echoed Willowpaw. "Thanks, Mountainpaw. You're brilliant, you know that?"

"I try," said Mountainpaw. They had reached where Bramblestar was waiting. "Good luck, Willowpaw…and stay safe. From the way Brackenpaw was talking, he'll kill someone if you get hurt."

"Well, we are best friends," called Willowpaw over her shoulder. She bounded all the way to Lionblaze, who asked her a few questions before trotting over to the other deputies. Mountainpaw stood next to Bramblestar and watched.

"You told her?"

"Yes, Bramblestar."

"Good. What did she make of it?"

"She's a little afraid of how clever I am," Mountainpaw replied, pride filling his voice. Bramblestar nodded.

"You know a lot, Mountainpaw. I think you'll become leader one day." Mountainpaw stood tall, puffing his chest out and lifting his tail high. He could just imagine himself as leader. Mountainstar, the greatest leader ThunderClan – no, the forest – had even seen. Maybe he would make one of his littermates his deputy. Littlepaw or Skypaw, maybe. It would be fantastic.

"Cats of all Clans, gather!" Mountainpaw finished the last bite of his mouse and trotted over to where Blackstar was sitting on the branch of a tree that overlooked the entire four Clans. Soon, everyone had gathered into a tight little space, where they could all try and hear him.

"I wonder what this is about?" Stealthpaw asked quietly.

"I hope Blackstar isn't saying something unfortunately important," murmured Littlepaw. Mountainpaw shot a glance at his brother, who's amber eyes were glazed with worry.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" whispered Mountainpaw so only his brother could hear him. "You think Blackstar is going to reveal us?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Littlepaw said grimly.

"As you all know, our deputies have gone to scout the area and find us a place to stay." Blackstar was speaking as loud as he could, yet Mountainpaw could barely hear him behind all of the cats. "Since StarClan has decreed that this should be our land-." His eyes settled on Mountainpaw for a split second, and Mountainpaw glared back fiercely. "-we should seal that it is ours by having a very important ceremony. Mistpaw, please step forward." Surprise spread through all the cats, including Mountainpaw. Blackstar was making a warrior!

"I, Blackstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her a warrior in her turn. Mistpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mistpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Mistflower. The Clan honors you for your intelligence and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Mountainpaw watched in amazement as Blackstar rested his muzzle on Mistflower's head, and she licked his shoulder.

"Mistflower! Mistflower!" The cry came first from the ShadowClan crowd, and then the rest of the Clans took it up. Mountainpaw got caught up in the crowd and yowled his approval, keeping his eyes trained on Mistflower. The new warrior was searching the crowd eagerly, and her eyes fell on one cat in particular. Following her gaze, Mountainpaw recognized Windfeather, who seemed to be shouting louder than anyone else. He tilted his head slightly, remembering what Bramblestar had told him: _'it's a leader's job to notice things about his Clan-mates.'_

As the crowd began to disperse, Mountainpaw said a quick goodbye to Stealthpaw and Littlepaw and pushed towards where he had seen Windfeather. When he came to an opening, he noticed that Mistflower was surrounded by her Clan-mates, and that Windfeather was perched on the edge of the ShadowClan crowd, looking into the crowd to find Mistflower.

"Hey! Windfeather!" Mountainpaw called. Windfeather jumped about a foot in the air, whirling around to see him standing there. Narrowing his eyes, Mountainpaw paced forward towards him, feeling the ground under his paws steady and firm. It was as if everything was falling into place just when he needed it to; it was if it was all ready for his big confrontation with Windfeather.

"Hello, Mountainpaw." Or maybe he was just imagining it. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah," Mountainpaw meowed. His voice caught in his breath. "I…uh…couldn't help but notice how loud you were during that ceremony. What are you doing here?"

"I think it's symbolic," replied Windfeather after a long moment of random gaping, "to greet the first warrior in the new land by her name when I was the last warrior in the old land."

"Right," Mountainpaw replied. "That's not what it looks like to me." Windfeather watched for a long moment, his gaze partly a glare of fury and partly a stare of shock. Then, his eyes narrowed even more than Mountainpaw's.

"Skypaw…" he growled so Mountainpaw couldn't hear. But Mountainpaw did hear.

"Skypaw?" he echoed. "Skypaw didn't say anything." He paused for a long moment as panic flashed on Windfeather's face and then gave way to anger. "Should she have?"

"Mountainpaw, you don't know what you're getting into," warned Windfeather, bristling. "Go away."

"Make me, Windfeather," snarled Mountainpaw, suddenly angry at his Clan-mate. "You can't desert the Clan now."

"It's my life," snapped Windfeather. "I don't see how you or your sister have to be in it in any way." Mountainpaw let out an aggressive hiss, ready to tackle the smarter, stronger, and faster warrior. But something held him back: the arrival of another cat.

"Windfeather? What's going on?" Mountainpaw and Windfeather turned to see newly named Mistflower. "Who's this?"

"My name is Mountainpaw," said Mountainpaw. "I came to ask Windfeather why." Mistfeather, unlike Windfeather, processed this right away.

"Why is not something you need to know," Mistflower meowed. "Why is not something I need to know. StarClan haven't showed me why, and they won't show you why either. I doubt even they know.

"If you think about it…Mountainpaw…there is no real why. We don't have an explanation for everything, because that's not the way life works. Asking me, asking us why is like asking your parents why they named you Mountainpaw, or why they even had kits in the first place. Asking us why is like asking your Blackstar or Bramblestar why they chose their respective deputies. We could give you an answer, but there is no real true way of knowing why." Mistflower gazed at Mountainpaw for a long moment, and Mountainpaw noticed just how clever she was beneath that silky fur and emerald eyes. He glanced at Windfeather briefly to see that the tom was staring at Mistflower with true love and admiration in his eyes.

Mountainpaw felt some strange feeling inside of him, one that he hadn't really felt before. In his life, there had been no thought of finding a mate or having kits. Truly, there still wasn't. The only thing that Mountainpaw felt he wanted to do was be the best part of ThunderClan he could. Whether that meant following in his mentor's footsteps and becoming leader or not, he would serve his Clan long and hard until the day that he died. Hiding a smile, Mountainpaw told himself that he would serve his Clan forever. But why would he serve his Clan? Mistflower was right – there was no true reason.

Yet the feeling inside of him held no admiration for Mistflower, but it held no anger at her for stealing his Clan-mate away from his service to the Clan. Both cats had made vows to the Clan – weren't they entitled to keep them until their deaths? Though the two may love each other, there were still boundaries they knew to follow. Mountainpaw dipped his head to the both of them, finally registering the new feeling inside of him as acceptance for what they were doing. It was really their decision to handle it however they thought was best. Mountainpaw himself couldn't stop the two from feeling for each other, and he couldn't urge them to ditch everything they believed in to follow the strong feelings.

"I see," Mountainpaw said at last. "Thank you." With that, he turned and trotted away, holding his head high. While Windfeather and Mistflower may not have the most normal of warrior lives, they still had warrior lives. And for the rest of their lives, no matter what, they would have to stay loyal. Mountainpaw didn't mind that they were together any more. In fact, he supported their amazing loyalty to each other.

_Maybe,_ thought Mountainpaw, _maybe I'll end up like that someday, with a ThunderClan she-cat. She'd have to be ThunderClan, though…I don't want to end up with as dramatic a life as Windfeather or Mistflower. We'd feel so strongly for each other I would have to deliberate over which I felt more loyal to: her or the Clan. But I'd always, when it came down to it, put the Clan first. The Clan is my life, and my life belongs to the Clan._

And so were the beliefs of Mountainpaw, apprentice of ThunderClan, one of the Great Five. Soon he would find out that he would hold them dear forever, putting the Clan before his siblings…before himself. After one bad decision he would see what he was doing wrong and act on it. There was nothing more to it: Mountainpaw was destined to become the greatest warrior the forest had ever seen.

* * *

**Elsi: I laugh so hard.**

**Trek: Are you confused at all? Or does this make sense? Because I assure you, Elsi had no idea what she was saying when she said it, she just kept talking, like I'm doing right now.**

**Elsi: What? That's not what I was laughing about, but okay. I'm laughing because Mountainpaw is so convinced he's going to be leader. It's kind of sort of hilarious to think of him as like...the same age as Firestar was when he joined the Clan. Man, Mountain is one smart cookie, which is strange, because originally he was meant to be the dumb one, and Little was meant to be the smart one.**

**Trek: Mountain does have a giantly swelled head.**

**Elsi: True. Which makes him slightly stupid. Oh, well. Did you enjoy it? I really wanted there to be a fight scene, but Windfeather would never attack Mountainpaw. He's too ashamed about giving Skypaw that scar! :P**

**Trek: So, my job is to convince Elsi to do her job. Her job is to finish Book One. And your job is to keep being the awesome readers you are! All you have to do is read and review...which will take you two seconds. I mean, come on. How long does it take to press the button type "OMG Mistflower really?" or something like that. **

**Elsi: BYE!**


	21. Chapter 19: Triangles

**Elsi: Hey. It's a holiday, so I'm trying to wrap this up! But I'm soooo excited to write Sunstrike's Story and Book Two (in which things will start to string together). **

**Trek: I'm so proud of her...**bursts into tears****

**Elsi: Yes, yes. So, I hope you enjoy it! It's called Triangles, originally because of the love triangle Doveheart-Tigerheart-Pineheart. Because I'm thinking he actually kind of likes her...bum bum bum.**

**Trek: Oh, and she doesn't own Warriors.**

**Elsi: OH! And one more thing. You know how in chapter 3 it was Foxleap who was all over Doveheart? Well, I noticed that Foxleap is Doveheart's uncle...heh heh. And it would be really weird for me to make her like Molewhisker, so I kind of had to go with Mousewhisker...even though he belongs to Hollyleaf. Forgive me!**

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Chapter 19-Triangles

Doveheart's eyes flashed open, and she took a few deep breaths. From beside her, Ivypool slowly lifted her head, hoping not to awaken Bumblestripe.

"It was the dream again, wasn't it?" she whispered. Doveheart nodded.

The dream had been haunting Doveheart ever since the great battle. It was always the same one, and it always had the same ending.

_Doveheart charged up the hill beside Ivypool and Lionblaze. They rushed in to look down at the fighting cats. _

_"Ivypool, find Hawkfrost. He'll be here somewhere, and you know the best way to take him down. Do you think you can do it?" Ivypool's blue eyes narrowed at Lionblaze's command and she nodded slowly. "Brilliant. Doveheart, you need to track the major influences on the battle. Once you've found who they are and how they are helping out, get some cats to help you get them. Is that clear?"_

_"What about you?" asked Doveheart, glancing up at Lionblaze. The tabby tom narrowed his eyes to slits._

_"I'm going after Tigerstar." Doveheart reached out her senses, letting them travel over the cats below._

_"Alright," she meowed. "Let's go."_

_As she charged down the slope, hoping that she would come out of it alive, the scenery changed. Now she was racing through a dark forest, listening to the sounds of pawsteps behind her. Doveheart looked over her shoulder to see the dark amber eyes of the cat glaring at her as she kept running. Doveheart gulped and turned around, but a giant wall of earth rose up in front of her, making her skid to a stop. _

_Doveheart spun around, ready to take on her attacker. They pounced, shoving her to the ground and tearing into her fur with sharp claws. Doveheart kicked back furiously, but her paws seemed to go right through the figure engulfed in shadow. She gave one hard shove and felt the attacker release her._

_Just as she began to feel relieved, the scenery changed again and she was back in the battle, watching as Lionblaze slowly circled Tigerheart. Her eyes flashed between them, and her heart begged her to cry out, but she couldn't. At last, Lionblaze lunged, his eyes glinting and his claws flashing. Doveheart let out a cry and leaped forward, pushing Tigerheart out of the way of her former mentor's attack. Lionblaze landed on all four paws and wheeled around, but it was not Lionblaze she saw anymore. _

_Standing there was Brokentail, his ghostly eyes shining at her. Doveheart took a few steps back, releasing Tigerheart from where she had pushed him to the ground._

_"Go on, Tigerheart," Brokentail wheezed, stalking towards Doveheart. Doveheart whirled around to face Tigerheart, who was slowly getting to his paws. His face was set in a determined glare, but Doveheart could see the fear plain in his eyes. "Finish her."_

_Doveheart dug her claws into the ground below her, preparing to fend off an attack from either one of them. Her heart gave a tug in her chest. Would Tigerheart actually betray her?_

_With a roar, Tigerheart leaped towards Brokentail, pushing him to the ground and clawing mercilessly at his chest. And then, Brokentail turned back into Lionblaze, and Doveheart pushed forward instinctively, forcing Tigerheart off of her former mentor._

_"Please, Tigerheart," she whispered, though she wasn't sure why she did it. "You can't hurt Lionblaze." And then the ruthless cackle came from behind her, and then she was being shoved into the ground by Brokentail, feeling his claws at the back of her neck. Doveheart felt tears come into her eyes. She was going to die._

_The only thing she saw was Tigerheart, his mouth open in shock and his eyes flashing between the two of them. Doveheart's mouth opened in her final plea._

_And to her amazement, Tigerheart turned into Tigerstar, who chuckled softly and paced away. Then Brokentail's claws forced into her neck, and the world spiraled into a dark void, the only sound being her screams._

"You okay?" asked Ivypool. Doveheart shivered slightly, standing up.

"I'm going for a walk," she mumbled. "I need some fresh air."

"We're sleeping under fresh air," meowed Ivypool, but she smiled and curled up against Bumblestripe again. Doveheart watched her sister for a moment; then she padded away from the ThunderClan warriors.

She stretched her senses as far as they would go, closing her eyes to form the pictures better. Picking up the scents of Bramblestar, Mistystar, Blackstar, and Onestar, Doveheart focused in on them.

"Do you think they'll find anywhere to settle?" Mistystar mewed.

"Of course they will," sneered Blackstar. "Unless, of course, you doubt an _apprentice._"

"I've learned to trust ThunderClan apprentices, myself," Onestar said quietly, not even looking at the ShadowClan leader. "Especially the unusual ones."

"What is going on with your apprentices, Bramblestar?" Mistystar asked.

"I'm not sure myself," replied Bramblestar. "I'm keeping my eye on the five of them for now."

"A wise decision," Mistystar meowed, nodding.

"Doveheart?" Doveheart jerked awake as she heard Tigerheart's voice. "What are you doing?"

"I had the nightmare," Doveheart explained. Instantly the frown on Tigerheart's face deepened.

"I thought it had gone away." Doveheart shrugged.

"It came back," she answered simply. "What about your nightmares?"

"Tigerstar hasn't haunted me since the battle with the foxes," sighed Tigerheart happily. "I think his influence is finally gone."

"That's great," purred Doveheart, nuzzling him gently. Tigerheart licked her ear.

"Wish I could say the same for you." Doveheart shrugged again.

"It's not important," she lied quietly. "But it always scares me so much." Tigerheart glanced around quickly, then pressed against her.

"I would never desert you, Doveheart," he promised. "You know that."

"I know," whispered Doveheart, her heart picking up its pace at having him so close. "It just came so close."

"I never should have let Tigerstar touch me. I never should have listened to him. Dawnpelt was right."

"Sisters tend to be right," purred Doveheart softly. "Especially if they're telling you not to listen to a cat that queens use to scare their kits with."

"These days," pointed out Tigerheart, "they'll just teach them all about the Dark Forest, and how if they're bad they'll end up there." Doveheart laughed.

"That's true," she sighed. They sat in silence for a long moment, just enjoying the company of one another.

"Doveheart, I'm having a bit of a problem," Tigerheart sighed.

"A problem?" questioned Doveheart. "Explain."

"Well…" Tigerheart started slowly, "lately there's been someone who is…trying to get my attention."

"And your affection," finished Doveheart, knowing exactly where he was going with the statement. "So you don't know how to deal with it?"

"Yeah," said Tigerheart. "You haven't had any trouble…right?"

"No, I've had trouble," sighed Doveheart. "There's one warrior that I can't shake off. It's awkward, because he's older than Lionblaze and Jayfeather. I…I don't know Tigerheart."

"Just remember…I'm here for you." Doveheart blinked, thinking of Mousewhisker for another moment, but then she shook her head and nodded.

"I'm here for you, too, Tigerheart. You can remember that." Tigerheart purred gently.

"The sun's rising," he meowed. "We should get back to our Clans before anyone wakes up and wonders where we are. And knowing Pineheart, come looking." Doveheart chuckled gently.

"Alright. Goodbye, Tigerheart. And good luck with Pineheart."

"Goodbye, Doveheart. Good luck." The two parted quickly, hurrying back to their own Clans.

As Doveheart curled up in her bedding, she tucked her tail over her nose.

"You've been gone a long time," whispered Ivypool from next to her.

"Sorry. You didn't worry about me, did you?" Ivypool didn't answer for a long moment, much to Doveheart's relief.

"Doveheart?" murmured Ivypool, picking up her head. Doveheart lifted her head to meet her sister's eyes. "Please stop talking to Tigerheart." Surprise pricked in Doveheart's mind.

"What do you know about it?" she whispered fiercely. Ivypool sighed for a long moment.

"I don't trust him, Doveheart. He's too much like Tigerstar…too much like Hawkfrost. Don't fall for that trick."

"But he saved me…in the battle!"

"And ever since you've had nightmares about him leaving you." Ivypool shook her head for a long moment. "Think about it Doveheart. He knew Brokentail was disguised as Lionblaze, he had to. They planned it to lure you in, so one of them could kill you. Brokentail wanted Tigerheart to do it."

"But Tigerheart didn't do it! Tigerheart failed the test! And now Brokentail is gone."

"Do you really think so?" A shiver ran up Doveheart's spine at the ominous meaning in the words.

"Of course. We killed them!" Ivypool sighed, looking around quickly to ensure that no one was listening to their conversation.

"How do you kill someone that's already dead?" At these words, Doveheart's blood turned to ice, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Ivypool?" Bumblestripe began stirring next to Ivypool.

"I've got to go out for dawn patrol," soothed Ivypool softly, standing up and giving her mate a small lick on the ear. "I'll see you later." She glared quickly at Doveheart, flicking her tail to signal her to come. Doveheart shook her head and curled up for the third time, shutting her eyes as tight as she could to escape Ivypool's warnings.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing on a field filled with flowers. It was a dream.

"Doveheart." Doveheart turned around to see Briarlight. Touching noses with the apprentice, Doveheart felt a spark of happiness inside her. Briarlight looked perfectly fine, as healthy as she had been before the tree.

"Hi, Briarlight," she meowed happily. "Is there something you need to tell me?" Briarlight sighed.

"I wasn't there for the battle," she meowed. "I was sitting in the elders den with Mousefur and Purdy, listening to some crazy story that I didn't want to hear. I was wandering around, trying to comfort Hazeltail. She was paranoid, talking about how Thornclaw was going to die and the last thing she had said to him was that she hated him. Squirrelflight was trying desperately to keep Rustkit, Stealthkit, and Petalkit calm, but with three kits of her own, plus Greykit and Bluekit, there wasn't much she could do."

"She wanted to fight, didn't she?" meowed Doveheart.

"Yes," answered Briarlight. "It hurt her that Ivypool got to fight and she didn't. But…it was Bramblestar's decision, and he chose to keep his mate safe."

"I'm sorry for her…and you," Doveheart replied. "Ivypool snuck out, though, didn't she?'

"Yes, she snuck out. She asked Squirrelflight to watch her kits while she went to see you and Bumblestripe off. It was the plan that she and Hawkfrost had planned out anyways, to sneak out the night before the battle. That was before she switched sides, but she knew it would infuriate him to use his plan."

"How do you know this, Briarlight?"

"Ivypool told me, the night she decided to switch sides. She explained that Hawkfrost and Tigerstar couldn't give her what she really wanted; that you and Bumblestripe and her kits could give her what she really needed. I was really in charge of Bluekit and Greykit, because Ivypool was afraid that Squirrelflight and Hazeltail simply wouldn't notice them in the heat of the moment."

"Why are you telling me this?" Briarlight's eyes glimmered with StarClan wisdom.

"Because, Doveheart, Ivypool knows. She knows what it was like to train with the Dark Forest cats. She was taught how to lie and trick people, and how to effectively make other people think something that wasn't true."

"Ivypool thinks Tigerheart's a trick. Are you saying she's right?"

"I'm not saying anything, Doveheart. Tigerheart's mind is one of those places I don't have access to." She smiled slightly. "You don't have access to his mind either."

"So you're warning me, too."

"Just…be careful, alright? You're from different Clans. You know it won't work out perfectly. But…oh, Doveheart, you have to know what you deserve."

"You mean I don't deserve Tigerheart?"

"I mean he might not deserve you. He was on the opposite side."

"But he reconciled. He saved the StarClan cats that day! He tricked the Dark Forest cats!"

"And who taught him how to deceive? Do you really think Tigerheart, as smart as he is, would have been able to convincingly trick the cats who taught him everything he knew?"

"You know you're saying the same thing about Ivypool when you say that."

"Ivypool cried so hard when she switched. She was afraid of falling. She was afraid they would target her most of all, and she needed someone to trust. Bumbleflight? Maybe. Ivypool just needed someone, alright? Can you live with that, Doveheart? Can you trust your sister?"

"What if Tigerheart needed someone, too? What if he needed me?"

"Then I'm wrong," meowed Briarlight with a dip of her head. "My point is, you have to see both sides. You can't give your life away to a cat you don't know."

"I know what I'm doing, Briarlight, alright?"

"Alright," agreed Briarlight. "As long as keep doing so, I'll be on your side. It's just when you stop knowing what to do that Ivypool and I will have to step in."

"Okay, Briarlight." Doveheart sighed. She thought for a moment, reflecting on what else her sister had said. "And Briarlight?"

"Yes?"

"Ivypool doesn't think the Dark Forest cats are truly gone. What do you think about that?" Briarlight took a deep breath, and she looked greatly troubled.

"I'm worried about that," she answered. "No one is sure what happened. Lionblaze took out Tigerstar, and the others just vanished. But the problem is, they were dead before. I don't think a living cat could have dealt the final blow.

"I suspect Tigerstar is hiding somewhere, too weak to carry on. Hawkfrost and Brokentail may or not be with him. But it's the living cats we have to worry about."

"Ivpool and Tigerheart."

"Among others. But yes, they were the lead of the Dark Forest's cats…until they both backed out."

"What about Breezepelt?" Briarlight smiled.

"He just wanted a way out, Doveheart. I think the killing blow from a medicine cat reconciled his spirit."

"He's in StarClan?"

"Yes, Doveheart."

"I'll have to tell Jayfeather and Sunstrike." Briarlight nodded. "But…I should tell Ivypool this?"

"Probably not. Ivypool is her own cat. She'll find her own way to act…one way or another."

"Briarlight, are you doubting Ivypool all of a sudden?"

"No," answered Briarlight. "But I'm saying that Hawkfrost, if he's still in existence, is going to try and get her back. He's going to try and make her a puppet to his will. Tigerheart, too."

"I'll save him," vowed Doveheart, narrowing her eyes. "I will keep him on the right path, if it takes every ounce of strength I have in me."

"Good," said Briarlight. She touched noses with Doveheart. "And good luck."

Doveheart's eyes flashed open, and she looked up to the sun.

"Are you listening, Tigerstar?" she spat quietly. "Hawkfrost? Brokentail? I'm going to save him. I'm going to save him, and you're not going to lay a paw on him. You're not going to touch him."

* * *

**Elsi: Are you confused? Basically, Briarlight and Ivypool are saying that at the big battle, the Dark Forest cats were not actually destroyed. They were just weakened, and StarClan probably has a better watch on them. Doveheart's dream is a segment of what actually happened: she, Ivypool, and Lionblaze had that convo, but Doveheart had some random fighting instead of that creepy shadowy place. Brokentail actually did disguise himself as Lionblaze, and that whole scene was what happened, but Tigerheart attacked Brokentail at the end (saving Doveheart) instead of just walking away.**

**Trek: If you have any other questions or comments, we will be leaving a comment box. To access said comment box, you have to click the review button. In other words, reviewing is like leaving a comment in a comment box. But nothing required. Elsi's gonna keep writing until her friends come over in like forty-five minutes. There's only two chapters left!**

**Elsi: SO excited for Lionblaze's chapter!**


	22. Chapter 20: A New Land

**Elsi: TWENTY DOWN, ONE TO GO, SAY TWENTY DOWN ONE TO GO! WOO!**

**Trek: WOO! That means there's only one chapter left! And with any hope - glare - we'll be able to finsih the story in a matter of hours! Minutes!**

**Elsi: Yes, yes, I'll try. Anyways, I don't own Warriors. I do own this plot. And Willowpaw, Violetpaw, and Sandpaw. AND MA BUDDIE FOUNTAIN! YAY!**

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Chapter 20-A New Land

Lionblaze padded next to his daughter, scenting the air ahead of him. He froze.

"Wolf," he reported quietly. At once, Whitetail, Reedwhisker, and Oakfur stopped in their tracks. Lightpaw, the selected WindClan apprentice, hopped in front of them, looking around.

"I don't see anything," she reported simply. Violetpaw of ShadowClan snorted.

"I really doubt you'll be able to see the wolf," she meowed.

"This isn't time to argue," Oakfur snapped to his apprentice. "We should split up and locate the wolf. Then we can decide what to do about it."

"Good idea," agreed Whitetail. "Lionblaze and I will take Lightpaw and Willowpaw this way. You can see what you can find that way."

"Come on, Willowpaw," meowed Lionblaze. He followed Whitetail into the trees, keeping his eyes peeled. Willowpaw cowered next to him, constantly checking the trees for any sign of movement. Whitetail stayed a few paces ahead of him, with Lightpaw bouncing around ahead.

"Lightpaw!" hissed Whitetail. "Stay here!"

"Sorry," meowed Lightpaw. "I just want to find the wolf!"

Suddenly a heavy impact crashed into Lionblaze. He let out a muffled cry of surprise, but it was nothing compared to Willowpaw's screech of terror. Fury surged through Lionblaze and he flipped his attacker over to reveal a big black tom with a small scar over his eye. Lionblaze jumped away, running to the aid of Willowpaw and Lightpaw, who were trying to fight off two young cats. He battered them away with a flick of his paw, stepping in front of them and daring any of the three cats to come closer. Whitetail gave a hiss and shoved a silver she-cat away from her, bristling.

"Enough, Strike, Creek, Ocean, Glow." From through the trees marched a wise-looking white she-cat. Lionblaze immediately felt her authority and kept his eyes trained on her.

"They were going to hunt our prey!" cried one of the small cats, a black tom with amber eyes.

"Excuse me," Whitetail meowed suddenly. "We don't mean to intrude. Our Clans have been told to settle here."

"In our land?" spat the bigger black tom. "This is ridiculous!"

"Hush, Strike." Strike fell silent, but his claws remained unsheathed. "I apologize for my cats. We have not seen new cats in a long while. You can't be from the Twolegplace, can you?"

"No," Lionblaze meowed. "We come from over the mountains on the far edge of the river. My name is Lionblaze, and this is Whitetail, Lightpaw, and Willowpaw. We are scouting the area for our Clans."

"Your Clans," repeated the white she-cat. "There are more of you?"

"Lionblaze and I are the deputies of ThunderClan and WindClan, respectively. Four more cats came with us, from RiverClan and ShadowClan. Have you seen them?" Whitetail met the she-cat's eyes as she spoke.

"No," replied the she-cat. "My name is Wish. This is Strike, Glow, Creek, and Ocean. We would be happy to help you, if you need it." Strike and Ocean – the younger black tom – began to protest, but Wish cut them off with a flick of her tail.

"Thank you," replied Whitetail. "We have been told to settle here by St- by our ancestors. If we could travel without delay, that would be excellent."

"We have to find camps to live in!" cried Lightpaw. Whitetail slapped her tail over the apprentice's mouth.

"We are looking for a place to live, four territories," explained Whitetail.

"But Lionblaze," whispered Willowpaw, "I already know where we're going! We're in ThunderClan territory now. We have to find the farthest bank of the river and go that direction. The camp is against a cliff, and there's a field of flowers behind it."

"On second thought," cut off Lionblaze, "I think we have a pretty good idea of where we're going. But we scented wolf. Is there a group of wolves around here?" He ignored the look of surprise from Whitetail and stared at Wish.

"Just one," meowed Wish slowly, starting to look suspicious. "His name is Fountain, and he speaks cat as well. Would you like to meet him?"

"Um…no thank you," Lionblaze said. "We just wanted to know about it. Where does…Fountain…live?"

"Follow the stream uphill," replied Wish. "You'll find a tree that can hold the stars in its branches. Fountain lives there." Lionblaze glanced down at Willowpaw.

"It's a stream that cuts between ThunderClan and WindClan territory," she explained in a whisper. "I'm guessing that could make a good border."

"Thank you," Whitetail meowed. "We will try not to bother you." She began to pad off into the undergrowth. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," meowed Wish softly.

"Their names were weird," commented the small grey she-cat as they left. Creek, Lionblaze remembered. "But I liked it." He smiled at the naïve tone in her voice. His kits were like that once.

Glancing down at Willowpaw, Lionblaze stifled a sigh. What was he kidding himself? His kits were _not_ normal, and they never would be.

"Which way now?" asked Sandpaw, looking up at Reedwhisker. Lionblaze cast a glance at the RiverClan deputy as he scouted the bank of the river.

"I think somewhere around here would be a nice place for RiverClan to settle," he meowed. "Can we look for a RiverClan camp here?" Willowpaw, who was resting nearby, jumped to her paws.

"No!" she cried, making all seven cats stare at her. "I mean…um…this can't be the right place for RiverClan! There are too many trees and…too much undergrowth. It's more suited for ThunderClan."

"But look at the river," replied Violetpaw with a roll of her eyes. "RiverClan lives by the _river_, smart one."

"Please," begged Willowpaw, turning to Reedwhisker. "The river must be huge. It can stretch for a long way."

"Maybe she's right," Lionblaze cut in when no one replied. "It can't hurt to look, can it? Maybe there's a place father downstream we can find."

"We've been traveling for too long," Whitetail interrupted suddenly. "The apprentices need rest. What if only a few of us went searching?"

"I'd like to see where my enemies are settling," snapped Oakfur, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "No doubt you would have ShadowClan stay behind, Whitetail."

"Think reasonably, Oakfur," Whitetail meowed coolly. "We can rest and cover territory this way. How about this: WindClan can travel with RiverClan downstream. ShadowClan and ThunderClan can rest, and then search for ShadowClan or ThunderClan territory while we rest." Lionblaze saw the contemplation on Oakfur's face and instantly cut in.

"I think that sounds fair," he meowed. Whitetail shot him a grateful glance. "We'll be happy to wait here and hunt."

"Come on, Sandpaw, Lightpaw," meowed Reedwhisker, starting off. "We want to be back long before sundown." Nodding to the others, they moved away across the river.

"Violetpaw, keep watch," snapped Oakfur. He stalked to the far end of the clearing and curled up, watching Lionblaze and Willowpaw with cold eyes. His apprentice sighed and sat towards the edge of the clearing where the other four had vanished.

"Lionblaze, what if Whitetail and Reedwhisker find somewhere they shouldn't?" asked Willowpaw quietly, gazing up at him with pale blue eyes. "Shouldn't we have gone with them?"

"They'll find something just fine," answered Lionblaze. "I've journeyed with Whitetail before. She knows what she's doing."

"But my dream…" started Willowpaw. Lionblaze felt a pang of pity for his confused daughter.

"Everything will work out just fine," he meowed. "I promise. Now try and sleep. We'll be searching by night no doubt, so you'll need to rest now." Willowpaw nodded, resting her head on her paws. Lionblaze curled his tail around his kit, keeping her close to him. He tried to ignore the cool touch of her pelt, and the un-natural way that her fur cooled him down instead of heating him up.

Willowpaw bounced ahead in excitement, and Lionblaze worked hard to keep up.

"She seems like she knows where she's going," meowed Oakfur quickly.

"I'm sure she's just excited," replied Lionblaze. "Stay close, Willowpaw!" He warned as the apprentice's grey coat weaved out of sight of the undergrowth. "We don't know what's in this territory!"

"Stupid kit," scoffed Violetpaw. "_Any_ ShadowClan apprentice would know that a warrior goes first." Lionblaze didn't respond, only lashing his tail crossly. There was only one problem: Willowpaw _wasn't_ an apprentice!

"Lionblaze! Lionblaze! Come look!" Willowpaw hurried back through the trees, her white paws shining through the thick leaves that coated the ground.

"Looks like she's found something," Oakfur commented, and the three of them followed the young cat.

Soon Lionblaze found himself staring in shock at the clearing ahead of him. It was almost like their old camp, except with only half of the steep wall he was used to. The semi-circle of cliff was sturdy-looking and dark, a few caves jutting out.

"Look!" purred Willowpaw, bounding forward. "This could be the nursery!" Lionblaze, now knowing she had seen the nursery in her dream, peered into the crevice to find a wide open space.

"Wow," Violetpaw commented from behind them, her voice filled with something other than disrespect for once. "This is actually quite nice."

"It seems like ThunderClan has found a camp," Oakfur mewed. "Now, can we find a camp for _ShadowClan?_

"We can in the morning," Lionblaze answered, stepping back. His heart was filled with joy and relief, as well as re-established faith in his daughter's dream.

"WHAT?" hissed Oakfur. "No, Lionblaze! Contrary to your belief, ThunderClan does not have superiority over ShadowClan!"

"I never said we do!" replied Lionblaze, utterly confused.

"Then how is it that it is of upmost importance that ThunderClan find a camp, but ShadowClan has to wait?" retorted Oakfur.

"It was closer!" meowed Lionblaze quickly, appalled at how ridiculous this was.

"So you say," snapped Oakfur. "We're going to find a camp and territory for ShadowClan. Reedwhisker and Whitetail found their camps. Now it is my turn."

"Wait until the morning, Oakfur," insisted Lionblaze. "Your apprentice is tired. We're all tired. We need rest."

"Fine. You can go get your rest," spat Oakfur. "I'm going to find a land for my Clan!" As he said this, Oakfur started backwards, fury dancing in his eyes.

Suddenly, the ground below Oakfur gave out and the ShadowClan deputy began slipping into dirt.

"Oakfur!" screeched Violetpaw, rushing forward to help her mentor out. "Help me!" Lionblaze vaguely heard her cries, vaguely saw her began pulling at Oakfur's scruff to save him, vaguely saw him struggling against the earth that was trying to destroy him. But all he saw was walls of dirt, plastering him on all sides. His heart began to thud furiously as the memory spun back to him, and everything else faded away. He couldn't move; he couldn't do anything but watch Oakfur and his apprentice struggle as the dirt began to swallow the deputy up.

"LIONBLAZE!" Willowpaw's screech cut into Lionblaze's horror, making him realize one thing: Oakfur needed more strength to pull him out. Violetpaw was just a nine-moon scrawny apprentice. He shouted internally for his paws to move and they did, rushing forward so he could take a hold of Oakfur's scruff. He balanced on the solid ground, hoping not to fall into the unsteady dirt that wanted to take Oakfur. And with all his strength, he heaved the ShadowClan deputy out of his trap, making Violetpaw jump backwards in surprise. Lionblaze toppled over, releasing Oakfur.

At once, the ShadowClan deputy started gasping for air, his eyes wide with panic. He hadn't even gone under, yet here he was, absolutely terrified. Lionblaze shut his eyes tight, shaking all memories of his own experience away from his troubled mind.

"Alright, Lionblaze," huffed Oakfur after a long moment of shocked silence. "We'll wait until the morning." Lionblaze heaved a giant sigh. He sat up slowly, to see Willowpaw slowly poking a paw into the dirt.

"Willowpaw, get away from there!" he growled, making his daughter recoil in surprise. She met his eyes briefly before backing away slowly.

"The dirt is really warm, really unsettled," she meowed. There's been too much rain that gathered here, and it's trapped under a large layer of dirt. That's why it's so unsteady." Violetpaw shot the young apprentice an annoyed and confused glance, but Willowpaw ignored her, only watching Lionblaze. "The only way to stop anyone else from falling in is to harden the water beneath it, or to completely get rid of it, which would be pretty much impossible." There was a new intensity in Willowpaw's eyes, a wild confidence to help others. At last, Lionblaze sighed.

"Be careful, Willowpaw," he meowed slowly.

"Be careful?" gasped Violetpaw. "You mean you're going to let her poke her nose into that stuff?"

"We don't want other cats falling in like Oakfur did!" Lionblaze shot back. "Please, Violetpaw, sit by your mentor and keep him company. This will just take a moment." Willowpaw very carefully edged to the very edge of where the land was solid. She closed her eyes tight, and Lionblaze felt the air chill around him. A shiver ran up his spine as a sudden coldness took the wind. And then, Willowpaw's eyes shot open.

"Did that do anything?" she whispered. Lionblaze shivered and stepped next to him. He looked around and found a very long stick.

"Let me test it," he meowed. "Stay back." Willowpaw scampered backwards as Lionblaze pushed the twig into the ground. He felt some of the dirt swallow it up, but then there was something hard that hit it.

"Yes, Willowpaw, that worked," he meowed happily, spitting the stick out. He crossed to the young she-cat, licking her head swiftly. "Well done. I'm very proud of you." Willowpaw's pale blue eyes shone, and he felt a small glimmer of light erupt from her paws. It then occurred to Lionblaze what Willowpaw had done. "You froze the water, and saved many cats from an early death."

"Did I really do that?" she whispered, her eyes growing even wider.

"You're powerful, Willowpaw," Lionblaze said quietly. "And I feel there's a lot more you'll have to discover about yourself before this is over."

"Before this is over," sighed Willowpaw. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Lionblaze shook his head. "Cats don't just randomly come with this sort of power. StarClan gave it to you for a reason. You've got to find that reason, Willowpaw…alright?"

"Alright," echoed Willowpaw. "I'll do my best to help the Clan." He studied the look in her eyes and remembered what Doveheart had asked before this all had started.

_"Does this mean that Lionblaze's kits will be…bad?"_ And even though his daughter had sworn to protect her Clan, he still asked that question to himself. For his five children had so many powers…they would have to decide the best way to use them. If they decided to use them for the wrong reasons, well…there really was no one waiting to stop them.

* * *

**Elsi: There you go, a dramatic almost-ending. Not really. I wanted to make Lionblaze's issue with the dirt more dramatic but I couldn't figure out what to say. So there was just a moment of bad memories before he jerked to life.**

**Trek: That's like what would happen if someone got eaten by a giant monster in front of me.**

**Elsi: Yes. Trek was attacked by a monster. And he lived. Moving on.**

**Trek: Shudder.**

**Elsi: So, what did you think? Was that just a really pointless chapter? Or did you like it? **

**Trek: Next one should be up real soon!**


	23. Chapter 21: StarClan's Message

**Elsi: Holy. Crap. I can't believe I just wrote this.**

* * *

Chapter 21- StarClan's Message

Jayfeather felt Birdpaw's anxiety cut him like a knife.

"Would you calm down!" he hissed, rounding on the small she-cat. "Your sister will be fine!"

"Why would Bramblestar _ever_ send her on a mission like that!" replied Bridpaw quickly, and Jayfeather could hear the gentle sliding of her claws against the dirt. "He's crazy."

"It's not his fault StarClan sent Willowpaw a sign," snapped Jayfeather. He sighed. "Have you figured out why in the world you burned me?"

"Skypaw thinks…never mind…" Birdpaw shuffled her paws. Jayfeather sighed in exasperation.

"Birdpaw, you have to tell me these things, alright?"

"I can't, Jayfeather!" meowed Birdpaw suddenly. "I don't want to talk about it! Maybe you'll get some prophetic dream from StarClan telling you every little detail!" The mocking in her voice outraged him.

"Is this a joke to you, Birdpaw?" he growled. "You burnt me! You have to tell me what's going on!"

"Why, so you can just go spout my life's story to Bramblestar?" hissed Birdpaw.

"No, so I can help you!" The words shot out of his mouth before Jayfeather could hold them back, and Birdpaw's sudden shock filled the air. "Birdpaw, you're not the only unusual cat around here, you know. Stop acting like I don't understand."

"But you don't!" cried Birdpaw, and her voice sounded muffled with tears. "Jayfeather, I can't do this! I'm just a kit!" Jayfeather took a few steps forward until he knew he was towering over her.

"You've got to grow up fast, Birdpaw. That's how these stupid things work. They force you to do something you can't do, and you've got to grow up faster than anyone else that has ever lived in the Clans. Alright?" Jayfeather began to walk away, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Jayfeather, why did you kill Breezepelt?" Jayfeather froze at the word, and suddenly he found himself traveling back in time, and everything around him vanished.

_Jayfeather looked at Leafpool._

_"Watch them," he ordered her, meaning the injured cats around him. _

_"What?" called Leafpool as he bounded out of their hiding place, but Jayfeather ignored her. He followed the strong scent of Breezepelt over the rise of the hill, where he examined the battlefield below him with his senses. The distinctive scent of his half-brother sent him rocketing over the hill, charging into the fray and brushing past all the other cats there._

_Finally, he located Breezepelt. With a roar of fury, he launched himself forward, taking his half-brother by surprise._

_"YOU!" he hissed. "You killed her!" Surprise flickered briefly in Breezepelt._

_"Killed your little mate, did I?" he sneered. "She was just a nosy she-cat. She didn't matter." Breezepelt launched Jayfeather away, making the medicine cat skid on the blood-splattered battlefield. He jumped to his feet, energy pounding in his veins._

_"You will pay for hurting Cinderheart," he promised. "I will kill you, Breezepelt."_

_"Sure about that, are we?" growled Breezepelt. He pounced, pinning Jayfeather to the ground and digging his claws into Jayfeather's shoulders. The medicine cat gave a yowl of pain as he felt his muscles tear from the harsh blow. He could feel his half-brother's breath on his ear, and he realized just how stupid he was for doing this._

_"Remember that as you die," whispered Breezepelt. "Remember…I killed Cinderheart." With those words, Jayfeather gave another roar of fury, pushing his half-brother back and pinning him to the ground. Suddenly, he felt the tables turn. Jayfeather pressed his paw fiercely on Breezepelt's throat, and he felt his half-brother gasp for air._

_"I'm going to kill you, Breezepelt," he whispered again. And suddenly the cruel light in Breezepelt's eyes faded into a hopeful sparkle._

_"You are?" The words sounded so innocent, as if a newborn kit was speaking._

_"Y-yes," continued Jayfeather, refusing to fall for the trap._

_"You're going to save me, Jayfeather." It was so surprising that Jayfeather almost released his half-brother. "Thank you." Breezepelt's eyes closed, and Jayfeather felt the peace when he purred. Very slowly, thinking Breezepelt was tricking him, he let the WindClan warrior up. But Breezepelt only sighed._

_"What do you mean?" asked Jayfeather, thouroughly spooked. He felt the amber gaze pierce him once again._

_"I mean I need a way out. Kill me, Jayfeather. Kill me…and tell Sunstrike that you did. Tell Sunstrike that I love her, and I love our kits. Tell Sunstrike thank you for everything that she did, and that I'm sorry." Fresh sorrow pricked the air. "I'm sorry, Jayfeather. I've done some awful things. I hated you and your siblings because you were better than me. So I thought I'd be better if I joined him." Breezepelt let out a shuddery sigh. "You're still better than me, Jayfeather. Kill me." The sympathy surged up inside of Jayfeather at his half-brother's plea. Very slowly, he crossed to stand next to Breezepelt. He had to do it. And with one fluid movement, he wrenched his claws across Breezepelt's throat._

Jayfeather jerked awake from the memory, gasping for air. Shock hung around Birdpaw, and Jayfeather knew that he had dragged his apprentice into the terrifying flashback.

"Birdpaw…" started Jayfeather, but the small-golden she-cat choked on a growl and fled. Jayfeather waited until her scent was far away before turning around and shaking his head.

"Hey, Jayfeather." Jayfeather breathed in Cinderheart's soft scent and held back a purr. He flicked his tail back and forth as he turned to face her.

"Hi, Cinderheart," he meowed. His flashback returned to him for a brief moment, and Jayfeather shivered. Without thinking, he padded forward and pressed his muzzle to Cinderheart's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're alive." Surprise lit up the air at his statement.

"Did you have a dream about the battle?" she whispered ever so softly. Jayfeather nodded into her soft fur. "I'm sorry, Jayfeather. I know that was a tough time for you."

"I'm not even sure that happened," mumbled Jayfeather. "I just know that one minute Breezepelt was…telling me that…he killed you…the next minute he was begging for death." Cinderheart touched her tail tip to his shoulder (although Jayfeather wasn't sure how she reached him).

"You're a good cat, Jayfeather," she whispered. Cinderheart took a step back, facing him, worried. "What was all that about in the mountains?" At once, pain gripped Jayfeather. He turned away, revolted by the idea of Cinderheart loving Lionblaze.

"Lionblaze is with Icecloud now," he remarked. "He'll always be with Icecloud, not with you. It hurts me to see you mooning over my brother when he's just going to hurt you. There are so many other toms out there that could love you-."

"Toms like you, you mean?" Jayfeather's head whipped around to face her. He could sense the raw pain coming off of Cinderheart in strong waves, and his heart ached to see her in that pain. Knowing he could lie and have her believe him, Jayfeather opened his mouth to speak. Then, he rethought. She had figured him out, and she had confirmed his own suspicions. As hard as Jayfeather tried to dismiss the idea, it stuck to him: he was in love with Cinderheart.

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes, toms like me." He paused. "How long have you known?"

"I did some thinking," murmured Cinderheart. "Your anger in the mountains…and the way you refused to look at me after that. You're in pain because I was in love with Lionblaze." Jayfeather glanced up at her, noticing her choice of words. "Yes, Jayfeather, was."

"Don't you still love him?" meowed Jayfeather, feeling suddenly confused and vulnerable.

"No," breathed Cinderheart. "Lionblaze is a great warrior, brave and strong, a true leader." She paused. "He cares about the Clan, and he would die for any of his Clan-mates." She sighed. "But that's not what I want in a mate now that I think about it. I don't want a mate that would die, that would kill for just any of his Clanmates. I don't want a mate that puts the Clan before anything else." She chuckled softly. "It may sound selfish, but I want a mate that would put _me_ first, that would die for _me,_ that would kill for _me."_ The last word hovered freely in the air; still Jayfeather was confused.

"And who would that be?" he said quietly. Cinderheart let out an irritated growl.

"Don't you get it, you crazy tom?" she meowed, stepping so close to him that he could feel her breath. "I want a mate that would kill for me. I want a mate that would work me to the ends of the earth to see me okay. I want a mate that would always be there for me until I shattered his heart to a million pieces. Do you know who that tom is?" Jayfeather narrowed his eyes, feeling hopelessly confused.

"Um…no?" he meowed.

"Jayfeather, you're crazy!" cried Cinderheart. "It's _you,_ and don't you dare say it's some trick of my imagination because it's not. I love you, Jayfeather, alright?" She spoke so fast, so freely that it took Jayfeather several moments of utter confusion before he grasped it: Cinderheart loved him.

"Oh," he mumbled. "Oh. I understand now." Purring, Cinderheart nuzzled him fondly.

"Crazy furball," she purred affectionately. And right then, Jayfeather didn't care that he had made the same mistake as his mother. He didn't care whether or not he was a medicine cat. Cinderheart loved him. That was surely the way it was supposed to be.

* * *

The giddy feeling of happiness in his heart, Jayfeather was unprepared for what he saw when he woke up in his dream. Around him sat a circle of cats that he knew very well: Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, Bluestar, Firestar, Briarlight…Brightheart…Briarpaw.

"Hello, Jayfeather," meowed Firestar. "We have something very important to tell you." There was a grim look in each of his friends' eyes, and Jayfeather felt the smile fade from his face. They were there because of Cinderheart.

"I'm sorry," he meowed at once. "It's a mistake that I shouldn't have made, but…I can't help it! I-."

"Jayfeather, we are not here about your love life," snapped Yellowfang, making Jayfeather stop talking and feel foolish.

"We're here about the Five. Lionblaze's kits," Spottedleaf meowed, sighing a huge sigh. She looked tired, and now that he thought about it, they all did.

"Something's wrong," muttered Jayfeather. Alarm pricked at his pelt. "It's Willowpaw, isn't it? She's not dead, is she?"

"Willowpaw is fine," replied Bluestar. Her blue eyes gleamed. "We have received a prophecy, Jayfeather, about them."

"A prophecy," repeated Jayfeather, sitting down. "A prophecy, about Lionblaze's kits."

"They are, as you know, the Great Five," Spottedleaf meowed. Jayfeather nodded, urging them to keep talking.

"The prophecy is about their lives, and what they must do," meowed Bluestar. "It is about their destiny." She cast a glance at Firestar who stepped forward, strange unease in his eyes.

"You must not tell this to anyone, Jayfeather. The Five must never know that you have heard it." Jayfeather nodded, feeling the urgency of the message.

"I swear," he meowed.

"Good," said Yellowfang. She stepped up, shoving Firestar back to his place. Her yellow eyes met Jayfeather's. "_There will be Five, greater than any who have come before them. Nature's gift, they must restore peace to blood, before time runs out."_

"Before time runs out?" replied Jayfeather. "Peace to blood?" But all around him, the StarClan cats were blurring, until it was only Yellowfang he saw. "Yellowfang? What does that mean?" Now Yellowfang blurred, and the last thing he saw was Yellowfang's golden eyes before he woke up with a gasp.

Jayfeather stood up from his nest, careful not to disturb Birdpaw. They young golden apprentice twitched, making the moss rustle, but she didn't move otherwise. It was probably just his imagination, but for a moment, Jayfeather could hear the crackling of fire, his worst enemy. He knew, subconsciously, that it was Birdpaw, that the crackling he heard was an omen relating to her.

Without warning, Jayfeather suddenly felt the earth slip away beneath his paws. His eyes jerked open and he could see himself, falling fast, into a void that was illuminating with a russet and gold mixture that rose like fire but was made out of something soft – Birdpaw, he supposed. Then, everything went cold and he passed through a fiery layer of darkness, erupting into cold snow. Jayfeather shook himself to his feet and ran, letting his paws carry him out of the deep snow and into the sky, whirling in circles of glistening blue, far over the ocean.

He dropped down to the ground and through it, into layer upon layer of crumbling dirt, rich and brown and murderous, and just as he thought everything was going to end, he was plunged into a deep ocean, the water digging into his pelt.

Alarm spooked Jayfeather, and he paddled his paws frantically. He had to get out of there, or he would drown. It wouldn't take long. He had taught Cinderheart how to-.

Cinderheart. At the thought of the cat he loved, the world went peaceful, and Jayfeather stopped resisting. He felt a large wave lift him up into the air and carry him over the world, foaming behind him. Jayfeather slowly turned around and was spooked by what he saw: a pair of amber eyes, lit with the calm wisdom of a leader and the naïve youth of an apprentice. Then, the wave broke, and Jayfeather tumbled to the ground, which he found right below him.

Now, Jayfeather was face to face with Brightheart, who stared at him with two beautiful eyes.

"Hello, Brightheart," he meowed, still slightly worried about his vision.

"Jayfeather, I'm sorry," she whispered. Confusion gripped Jayfeather, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry for what?" he meowed quickly.

"Sorry for not speaking out during your dream. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't."

"Tell me what?"

"The prophecy, Jayfeather. I-." And then, though Brightheart's mouth moved, no words came out. The StarClan cat's eyes widened in fear and shock, and she began to look around wildly.

"Brightheart?" cried Jayfeather. "What's going on? Brightheart!"

"It's alright, Jayfeather," said another voice, and Jayfeather spun around to see another version of Brightheart, still with two eyes, but this time, she could speak. "I'm here."

"What's going on, Brightheart?" exclaimed Jayfeather.

"Nothing," replied Brightheart. "Remember what StarClan told you. Remember the prophecy." Her eyes glowed with some sort of light that Jayfeather didn't like at all, and then she vanished.

Jayfeather shook his head, clearing the vision from his mind. What in the world had just happened? He paced away from the sleeping ThunderClan cats, away from the four Clans, and broke into a run, charging towards the mountains blindly. He came to a stop atop a hill, gazing out at the way they had come.

"StarClan, what do you want?" he cried. "You give me a prophecy that makes no sense; you show me a vision where there is two of the same cat!"

"_There will be Five, greater than any who have come before them. Nature's gift, they must restore peace to blood, before time runs out." _To his left came a ghostly version of Bluestar, with her blue eyes glowing strong.

"Jayfeather, no!" cried Briarlight, appearing to his right. "Trust no one!"

"Jayfeather!"

"Jayfeather!"

"JAYFEATHER!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, STARCLAN?" screeched Jayfeather, his mind about to split. He took a few gasping breaths, searching the desolate field in front of him for some sort of answer, for some sort of sign.

All that answered him was the slight blow of the wind as it whispered over the plains.

For nothing is as it seems…when great is greater than good.

* * *

**Elsi: That's the end. That's actually the end...OF BOOK ONE!**

**Trek: Ancestors. Wow. I'm still creeped out.**

**Elsi: You aren't the only one. **faces readers** Are you guys creeped out? What do you think of the ending? Are you excited for Book Two?**

**Trek: Shivers. This is in no way what you though it would be.**

**Elsi: No, no it's not. Holy crap. Well, be on the lookout for Book Two and Sunstrike's Story!**


End file.
